Fair weather is forecast for Ludlow Medieval and Christmas Fayre
The organisers of this weekend's Ludlow Medieval and Christmas Fayre say they are hoping good weather will help them to attract a record number of visitors.
Hundreds of exhibitors are arriving to set up stalls and attractions inside Ludlow Castle, and organisers keen to avoid a washout.
However, they have moved to quell fears the event could suffer the same fate as Ludlow Festival, which was axed earlier this month because of the dreadful summer showers.
Prue Dakin, one of the fair's organisers, said: "The forecast looks a lot better for the end of the week.
"Our ticket sales and coach bookings are all looking good and we hope to actually beat last year's visitor number of almost 19,000 people.
"The weather yesterday was poor but we have managed to get down tracking for both people and vehicles so they can move around the castle easily.
"With the tracking down we won't be inconvenienced by poor weather We hope the weather will clear up and we can live with a bit of rain. There are also no fears for the fair's future."
It is one of the biggest medieval events in the UK and visitors can expect a plethora of themed activities and more than 100 stalls.
Yesterday's wet weather has left the 900-year-old castle's inner bailey saturated.
Current Met Office forecasts say the rain should clear away by Saturday with sunshine and highs of 5C.
Fair bosses said they hoped people from across the town and county would turn out and support the event, which has been running for 14 years.
The Ludlow Festival, one of Shropshire's flagship events, came to an end after more than half a century after ticket sales took a battering from heavy rain.
