2005 UK National Drum Fair

The weekend was a roaring success and drummers travelled from throughout the UK and Europe to attend. Craig Blundell and Pete Riley gave superb demonstrations of the art of drumming and were both warmly received by the crowds. Martin "The Drum Guru" Ranscombe spent the weekend performing his own brand of tuning magic on a plethora of snare drums while Mike Dolbear and Gerry McDonnell left their virtual home to make a rare public appearance together.

Other famous names dropped in to sample the craic, including Geoff Nicholls, Jon Brookes and Carl Palmer; the latter returned on the Sunday to draw the various raffle prizes.

A variety of stall holders displayed drums - vintage and modern, classic and electronic - as well as cymbals, catalogues, and a wealth of hard-to-find spare parts for that restoration project. The atmosphere was fantastic and the consensus seems to be that the 2005 National Drum Fair was a roaring success.

The Tally Ho conference centre fills up

Craig Blundell did the business on Saturday

Drums-a-plenty to buy....

...and to drool over.....

....from the classic vintage....

.....to the custom-built modern.

Pete Riley gave a virtuoso performance on the Sunday....

.....then stopped by for a natter with Geoff Nicholls.

Three likely lads...

.....and the crew from the MikeDolbear.com forum.

The Drum Guru working his magic....

....while Mike Dolbear and Gerry McDonnell work theirs.

Beautiful custom-built drums from Highwood.

Graham Smith (Antique Six Jazz Band) meets Jon Brookes (The Charlatans).

The Supreme Lou Dias...

.....and the wonderous Julian Marsden.

Kim Chester receives his Craviotto snare from Carl Palmer.

Malcolm Phillips won the Premier snare drum.

Winnie Mensink rubs Carl's chest as Princess Anne looks on...

....while Cleve Key won a box of Sultana Bran.