A photograph of a historical village fête in West Sussex won a new category in the South Downs National Park’s annual photo competition.

Chris Gorman The Big Ladder Photographer took out the top prize in the towns and villages section with his drone shot of the Harting Festivities. The category was included to “celebrate the many vibrant communities of the National Park”, and the competition saw a record number of entries, with more than 800 pictures.

The Harting Festivities is a village celebration that is two centuries old and takes place in the village of Harting and Chris described the shot as a “quintessentially English scene”.

He said: “As a drone photographer based near Petersfield, the South Downs National park provides a huge amount of scope for great images from the vibrant villages as seen in my image, to beautiful sunrises and misty mornings.

“No one has seen a village event like that from an unusual perspective. With the church spire at the end of the street, the picture composes itself because it's such a picturesque scene.

“Harting has had a right year of it because the high street has been closed and the poor pub there has suffered because of that. So it's nice to have that picture highlighted and show the village at its height and at its best.”

Competition judge Claire Blow, deputy editor at Outdoor Photography, said: “This is such a well-composed photograph that shows off so many different elements of the South Downs National Park. It shows off a bustling community and is really alive as an image.”

A spokesperson on behalf of the Harting Festivities Committee commented: “Amazing, bravo!”

For his winning photograph, Chris receives £100 and the picture is up for People’s Choice. The online poll closes at midnight on Friday, January 31.