THE first ever ValleysFACE festival got off to a roaring start this weekend with around 5,000 people sampling its culinary delights on its first day alone.

Specialist food and drink producers from the local area and further afield gathered at Festival Park Shopping Centre on Saturday and Sunday.

As well as tasty treats and delights including steak burgers, Tudor Brewery beer and South Indian snacks, visitors could enjoy a live music stage out in the festival ground.

It is hoped that ValleysFACE, which aims to showcase local small and medium sized business, will become an annual event that moves to a different town each year.

James Carver, vice-chairman of the event's committee and who works for Tudor Brewery, said around 5,000 people had attended the festival by the middle of Saturday.

He said the event was put on because there had never been anything like it before in Ebbw Vale or Blaenau Gwent.

"We thought, lets do it ourselves. There's no one else doing it. We've had no funding and we're all voluntary," he said. adding that 40 per cent of the exhibitors were from Blaenau Gwent.

Ellice Miles, 27, of Brynmawr, who attended the event with her four children, said: "It's fantastic and I definitely think there should be more like it in the area."

Kim and Richard Rae, from the Neath Valley, also commended the event. Mrs Rae said: "We're having a really lovely day. It's the first year, I think it's doing a really good job."