In 14 pictures: Thousands gather by Bexhill's De La Warr Pavilion to watch solar eclipse

The event, organised by Andy Lawes, chair of East Sussex Astronomical Society (ESAS) and founder of Astronomy Adventures UK, and his team saw a day filled with astronomy, excitement and a community atmosphere.

At the event people could also make their own eclipse viewers at a series of workshops.

People brought their own chairs, tents and picnics to watch the biggest partial solar eclipse event in 27 years.

Andy and his dedicated team of helpers worked throughout the event to give as many people as possible the opportunity to safely view the eclipse through telescopes.

Martin White provided one of the highlights for the huge crowd, using his telescope to project an image of the eclipsed Sun onto a large screen.

This meant that people could watch the eclipse happening live, even if they weren't able to look through a telescope themselves.

Andy was also providing views through a Hydrogen-alpha (H-alpha) telescope, revealing details of the Sun that could not be seen through ordinary white-light solar viewing.

Andy said: “For many of the visitors, seeing the eclipse through a telescope was an experience they will remember for years to come. Children and adults alike were able to share the excitement of watching the Moon gradually move across the face of the Sun, while the team explained what was happening and answered questions from the crowd.

“The success of the day was also a testament to the dedication of the volunteer team, who gave their time and expertise to make the event accessible to such a large audience.

“With more than 2,500 people attending, a fantastic team of helpers and a wonderfully friendly atmosphere throughout the day, the eclipse event proved that astronomy continues to inspire people of all ages.”

The phenomenon was the biggest solar eclipse seen from the UK since August 1999, with the moon covering between 90 per cent and 96 per cent of the Sun.

There will not be another partial eclipse this deep until 2050.

Astronomy Adventures’ next event is Sunday, August 23, when Andy will be showing people the scale of the Solar system using banners along a walk on Bexhill Promenade. Contact Andy for details on 07923 458516. Spaces are limited.