GERMAN-BORN Esther Hamill said Saturday's ninth annual lantern walk through the streets of Malmesbury was the most successful yet, with more than 140 people packing the town's streets.

Mrs Hamill, who moved to England 13 years ago, began the annual walk to recreate the Festival of St Martin, the patron saint of the poor, for her children Hannah, ten, Jonas, eight, and Dillon, four.

Usually the event has attracted about 80 people but this year almost twice that number turned up.

"It was brilliant and is starting to become very familiar," said Mrs Hamill.

A workshop was held in the town hall in the afternoon for children to make lanterns for the walk.

"Many were cylindrical in shape with multi-coloured box shapes on the front that looked like stained glass windows," she added.

The procession started at the Market Cross at 5.30pm, walking around the Abbey and Cloister Gardens, the High Street and back to the town hall.

"We sang a mixture of traditional German songs translated into English as well as English ones based on light and the stars," said Mrs Hamill.

She said at the end of the parade crowds congregated in the town hall. Jonas, dressed as St Martin, entered the town hall and gave half his cloak to his brother Dillon, dressed as a beggar, in a recreation of the legend surrounding the saint.

Storyteller Sue Chadd then entertained the crowds with a tale of a bat.