SOME old school pest control was on display at a free fete, where traditional stalls included whack-a-rat.
About 300 revellers enjoyed the festivities on Saturday (August 31) at Hanworth's Butts Farm estate, on The Green, in Saxon Avenue.
A petting farm, DJs and free face-painting and T-shirt making were among the attractions at the event, sponsored by the housing association L&Q.
Visitors also dug gardening workshops from Strawberry Hill Community Garden and took part in free training sessions run by Tesco for the estate's new community cafe at Norman House.
Rin Roche, who helped organise the fair, said: "It was a fantastic afternoon and we're so grateful to everyone who supported it and those who got involved on the day."
The fun day was the latest evidence of the once troubled estate's transformation from an area plagued by antisocial behaviour to one with a blossoming community spirit.
Butts Farm is the first place in the borough to apply to create a neighbourhood forum, under powers introduced in 2011, with consultation on the move set to end next Friday (September 13).
If approved, the forum would allow residents to put together a plan for how they want the area to be developed in coming years.
The driving force behind the application was the desire for a new community centre, to host events and training for poorer residents on the estate.
Chris Hern, a member of the Butts Farm Working Together Group, which is behind the forum bid, said: "The area desperately needs a community centre because people are so aggrieved about the one they lost.
"This used to be a very difficult place to live, with antisocial behaviour being a real problem, but residents have really come together to improve things and develop a strong sense of community spirit."
