Youngsters from local schools and community groups lit up the streets of Calne on Saturday for the town’s lantern parade.

Hundreds of children had made lanterns for the annual winter festival in November, which was unfortunately cancelled due to wet weather.

But organisers from Calne Town Council worked hard to re-schedule the lantern parade giving them the chance to show off their creations.

Mayor Roy Golding, town crier Mark Wylie and Father Christmas led the parade down from the Bremhill View Social Club at 5pm.

It continued down North Street and Oxford Road, finishing with carols organised by Calne Free Church at the riverside past Sainsbury’s.

There was also a December market in Phelps Parade and the New Market Place, where stalls were selling jewellery, crafts, stocking fillers, preserves and hot food.

Steve Heal, headmaster of Holy Trinity School, joined pupils at the lantern parade and commented on the wide range of different lanterns on display.

He said: “The lantern parade is always a feast for the eye. Our pupils had made lanterns in the shape of Christmas trees, in aid of the charity Hannah’s Trees, and we had a really good time.

“The children were delighted it had been re-scheduled, they don’t really think Christmas has started until the lantern parade.”

Children from Buttercup’s Kindergarten, aged two to four, made triangular lanterns covered in green and red tissue paper for the parade.

Nursery manager Alison Pearce said: "We spent a whole week making the lanterns and they looked really pretty when the lights were inside.”

Town clerk Linda Roberts said it had been a difficult decision to cancel the main parade.

She said: “The rearranged lantern parade went very well considering the short time available to rearrange, and again our thanks must go to Clare Harris our planning and events officer, ably assisted by Lucy Aylen our temporary projects officer.”

Roy Golding, Calne's mayor, said: “It went off really well, I was really pleased with the amount of people that turned up considering it was a last minute effort.

"We need to give a huge amount of thanks to Claire and to the police for putting something on at such short notice and to all the people who turned up.

“The children put a lot of effort into making the lanterns so it was good that they could show them off.”