THOUSANDS of people flocked to Hove Lagoon at the weekend to enjoy the second festival.

It was a real family event with an unusually high number of youngsters enjoying themselves.

Many people deserve congratulations for creating what is now certain to become an annual fixture, particularly local councillor Robert Nemeth.

But he acknowledged at the opening ceremony that the star of the show was DJ Fatboy Slim, also known as Norman Cook.

You could tell from the crowd that they had come to see him and that the festival was a desirable extra. They even laughed at his limericks.

He lives close to the lagoon in the seaside villas which have traditionally been homes for the stars.

The most famous of them has undoubtedly been Paul McCartney who lived there for a few years with his then wife Heather Mills.

She took over the lagoon café and was ahead of the times by offering a vegan menu.

This was not what the average punter down for a day by the seaside wanted in those days and Heather wisely moved to the North Laine area of Brighton.

The DJ then acquired an interest in the café which is now the focal point for many activities at the lagoon.

It was there that the Friends of Hove Lagoon were formed including representatives of every activity ranging from dog walking to wake boarding.

Money raised from the festival is going towards improvements including the establishment of a wildlife area on a steep narrow strip of land between Wharf Road and the Kingsway.

Fatboy Slim has previously shown his commitment to the lagoon by paying for a large piece of equipment in the children’s playground.

He has also been generous to the city as a whole, notably by paying for a clean-up after a huge audience turned up for his free concert on Brighton seafront. They left a revolting mess behind which was quickly removed when Fatboy paid the bill.

Sussex has been attractive to celebrities settling in the countryside with stars such as Roger Daltrey and Phil Collins becoming part of the local scene.

Dame Vera Lynn, who become the Forces’ Sweetheart during the Second World War, has done her bit for Ditchling over many decades.

Until she became a centenarian, she was often taking an active role in local activities and campaigns such as one to ban heavy lorries from the village.

Guitarist Richard Durrant has enthralled many classical music lovers with his skilled and sensitive playing at concerts.

But he has also devoted time and trouble in helping pop like Don Partridge, famous for his one-man band,

Durrant has been in Shoreham for many years and has played a full part in the community.

He has often taken part in the Adur Festival and has helped raise money to revive the Ropetackle arts centre.

But some celebrities like the comedian Steve Coogan value their privacy The playwright Arnold Wesker was so successful at this that I did not even know he had lived in Brighton and Hove until after he had died.

Queen Victoria was the first person of note to leave Brighton for her privacy, swapping the splendour of the Royal Pavilion for the seclusion of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

Rudyard Kipling, a huge celebrity in his day, disliked the gawpers so much that he moved from The Elms in Rottingdean to Batemans, a well-hidden mansion at Burwash.

A famous example was Lord Olivier, the best known actor of his generation, who owned two handsome houses on Brighton seafront.

He was criticised locally for accepting grants to improve the homes in Royal Crescent despite being a wealthy man.

Olivier, who was perfectly entitled to receive the grants, took great exception to this and it was undoubtedly a factor in his move away to Ashurst near Steyning, soon afterwards.

Ironically the grants issue has almost been forgotten now and he is remembered in Brighton for taking no part in any campaign but one.

This was his bid to restore kippers to the breakfast menu of the Brighten Belle. He won but British Rail retaliated by scrapping the train.

What a contrast to Norman Cook, who delights in taking part in local activities. When I first came to Brighton, the lagoon had a forlorn looking playground dominated by a sewage station which once overflowed and shut the park that summer.

It wasn’t until work by another councillor, Heather James, helped establish the paddling pool and skate park that the lagoon began to revive.

Norman Cook has shown how popular he is by giving his time and talent to the festival.

Other celebrities please note.