THE Cwmbran Big Event returned to the Torfaen again on the weekend, offering a cavalcade of musical entertainment, sporting activities and a dog show.

Thousands flocked the popular event, held at the boating lake, which featured Newport’s The Voice hopeful Tobias Robertson as the musical headliner.

A raft race was also held on the lake itself before canine companions took centre stage at the dog show, which is in its fourth year at the Big Event.

“It was very successful in terms of the dog show, and we had 104 ring entries at the Big Event,” said Paula Ambrose, the treasurer of Greyhound Welfare.

“Our most popular category of the 16 classes we had on offer was, as always, most appealing eyes and waggiest tail. I think we had around 25 dogs alone for the most appealing eyes.

Mrs Ambrose added that the dog show received one of its largest crowds to date, and ended with the always popular sausage race for the dogs.

Dance troupes and brass bands also performed while adrenaline sport junkies from the Torfaen free-running academy allow visitors to have a taste of Parkour.

Amanda Ellis, dance instructor and owner of Street Fit, led her students in a rendition of Nena’s ’99 Red Balloons’ before releasing a large number of balloons into the sky.

“We wanted people to remember us so I thought what better way than to use balloons and in fact we had 99 red balloons,” she said.

“All the dancers wrote their name on a tag that we attached to the balloon and we let them go altogether at the end of the song.”