Tens of thousands attend first WOMAD in 3 years to celebrate 40th festival

• Watch Richard Payne's report from Charlton Park

Three years since Womad was last staged in the Wiltshire countryside - the international music, cultural and dance festival has returned.

Tens of thousands of people have descended on Charlton Park to welcome it back for it's 40th year.

Cancelled late last summer because of the pandemic, Womad's return has been greeted by record ticket sales where the focus is less about established headline acts, but bringing together people from around the world or just across the region.

Artists from Columbia to Cuba, Senegal to South Korea and many points in between are performing again after struggling for survival through enforced silence.

Testing for organisers too, who've had to deal with increasing costs at a time when budgets are stretched.

Emily Wood, from Womad told ITV News: "I don't think it was easy but it was certainly certain. We felt very confident that it was going to happen and all come together and it has. It's looking brilliant and it's so exciting to see everybody just loving it and relaxing back into it."

Since its first gathering in 1982, Womad has presented more than 300 festivals in countries as varied as Russia, South Africa, the USA and Singapore.

But this corner of Wiltshire is its beating heart which, after perhaps its great test of survival, is back in full health.