The whole idea came about as a result of the wonderful weekend of entertainment put on by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's Barry station, which in 2001 celebrated 100 years of saving lives along the Vale of Glamorgan coast.

Over the space of six months, an event was organised that brought the whole town together, enticed thousands of visitors to the area and sparked a desire for an annual festival Barry could be proud of.

And it was a festival to remember. With a breath-taking appearance from the fantastic and skillful Red Arrows and challenging sailing competitions staged in Dock Number One, it was a worthwhile combination of family fun and community spirit.

The spectacular surroundings of the new Waterfront development, with the cool expense of water, the cutting edge housing and the proximity to the Holton Road, Broad Street and High Street shopping centres, it seemed the perfect idea to keep the ball rolling.

Such was the success of this first festival, held on Saturday June 23 and Sunday June 24, that the Vale of Glamorgan Council agreed this was the way forward to keep the vitality of the town. Starting off with local food producers and demonstrations, the Waterfront Weekender has grown in strength over the last three years.

With the crowd-pleasing Norman Sayers Fun Fair and the exhilarating sight of the Tall Ship Stavros S Niarchos sailing into port, there is hardly any wonder why.

Norman Sayers is a prominent member of the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain (South Wales and Northern Ireland Section) and was their Chairman for four years.

In 1997/98 he was voted Showman of the Year in London by his peers throughout the UK.

His grandparents brought equipment to Barry Island in the early 1900s and he has many links with the town. So he was delighted to be invited to supply the funfair for the Centenary Celebrations of Barry RNLI and to bring a fairground to the Barry Festival of Steam earlier this year.

Among many other events he runs are the Caerphilly Big Cheese, Blackwood Balloon Festival, Callenig New Year Celebrations in Cardiff City Centre, the Radio One Big Sunday and many others.

His wife Diane, his son Norman-George and his daughter Candice all work with him in all these events so it is a true family business.

Although he likes to keep a secret of exactly which rides he'll be bringing to town, you can be sure at the Waterfront Festival there will be many spectacular and exciting rides.

Sayers Amusements will bring a selection of both traditional and thrill rides, hooplas and side stalls so you can look forward to a fun filled experience for all the family.