BOVEY Tracey’s high street was far from quiet at the weekend, it was ringing to the sound of bells, squeeze boxes and the clacking of staves for much of Saturday.

The town was welcoming the much-vaunted return of the Green Man Festival, a celebration of the rites of springtime.

It’s been a couple of years since the last event so there were plenty of people wanting to see traditional Morris teams in full pelt. Many of the youngsters watching hadn’t seen a spectacle like that before and were most likely amazed that grown-ups could have so much fun dressed up in outlandish costumes.

Among the troupes taking part were the Grimspound Border Morris and the Beltane Border Morris.

From the old town hall down to the horse trough junction, staffs were swinging and dancers leaping, and pubs and cafes reported a bumper day’s takings boosted by the number of visitors.

Only a few years old, the festival harks back to more pagan times when the changing season heralded a time of rebirth and the awakening of Mother Nature after her winter slumber.