A local councillor called for optimism as the day was 'just brilliant'
A community fun day at Mansel Park in Millbrook that drew more than 2,000 visitors was forced to close 45 minutes ahead of schedule after a convoy of around 20 caravans surged onto the grounds.
The Mansel Park Big Day Out, which took place on Saturday, had been a resounding success before the group of travellers gained access to the site, bringing with them multiple horses and other vehicles.
Organisers took the decision to end the event early on safety grounds, with stallholders immediately packing up and families streaming out of the park.
The incident brought a premature end to what had been a hugely popular gathering, the product of close to a year's worth of preparation by Millbrook Football Club and local councillor Eugene McManus.
Mr McManus and the football club assembled a programme that included 40 stalls, live performances from local schoolchildren, and appearances by disability groups and charities.
Sally Goodfellow, the councillor for Redbridge who was present on the day, hailed it as a fabulous community occasion despite its curtailed ending.
The Big Day Out had been advertised to run until approximately 5pm, with organisers expecting families to linger into the evening.
Hundreds of residents had turned out to enjoy what was shaping up to be a landmark event for the Millbrook community.
Ms Goodfellow described the group as having "gate crashed" the event, recounting how the caravans had been squeezed through an entry point onto the field.
"We were like, don't put yourself in any danger, just leave them, and then that's when they all just descended on the field," she said.
"I was on the phone to police and they said they've had many calls come in because there's a community event," Ms Goodfellow recalled.
"Then all the police turned up, because, obviously, there was a number of us all on our phone, bombarding the police but we were like it was too late."
"Eugene just made a decision, he said for everybody's safety, we just need to shut down," she explained.
Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that officers attended on Saturday evening and directed the group to vacate the park.
One mother who attended with her family and friends said the group's arrival had "ruined" the occasion.
She noted that a fence post had already been cut down when she arrived, and that her family managed to enjoy roughly an hour and a half before everything was shut down.
"Hundreds of people were here and my kids were upset they have had to leave," she said. "It is such a lovely community evening and it has just been ruined."
Despite the disruption, Ms Goodfellow was keen to strike an upbeat tone. "We really don't want this to be a negative story because the community came out and we were all together united, and it was just brilliant," she said.
