Dunstable Kite Festival organiser Joe, from Luton, flys off on a high!

Above: Joe Brown. Fun fact: Kuwait has the worlds largest kite, a 1,050 square-metre Kuwaiti flag. Credit: John Chatterley

Joe Brown, 39, of Luton, has dedicated his time to booking arena display teams since the late 90s, also providing commentary for 15 years.

He first became involved as an employee of local business, Dunstable Kites, who used to run the event, and after the company closed in 2006, helped the National Trust take on the festival.

Joe said: “One of my favourite memories was when I had a phone call from the RAF, as we notify them about air traffic.

“A man said: ‘Are you having the kite festival ?’ I said yes.

He then asked: ‘How big are the kites?’ and I told them we had large inflatable ones.

“‘OK – they are appearing on our radar so we were a bit concerned,’ he said. ‘Looked like a large shadow – we won’t have to send a fighter jet to check it out then!’”

Joe is proud of the fact that the festival has been extended to two days, and is stepping down to give someone else a go at the role.

He said: “Thank you to the public for supporting the event – without you, we couldn’t hold it. Thank you also to my mum, Denise; she was always ready to bring me a cold drink and sandwich.”