A PRINCE and princess in a horse drawn carriage led a procession through a village.

Princess Ella Gray, with Lilly Leavey as her attendant, and Prince Charlie Throssell, with Tom Welsh-Smyth as his escort, were at the front of the colourful parade as it made its way through Old Basing on Saturday.

Hundreds of people lined the streets to watch, and many residents decorated the outside of their homes with flags in support.

This year’s theme was Countries of the World, and those taking part donned elaborate costumes, including one young girl dressed as the Statue of Liberty, to dance their way to the Recreation Ground.

Many of those taking part wore traditional costumes from the country they were representing, including Italy and New Zealand.

Community groups and a marching band joined the procession which made its way to the arena, where there was a host of activities to keep the crowds entertained.

These included a craft tent, vintage car display, steel band, Punch and Judy show, ice cream, tea tent, bar, barbecue, fun fair, side shows and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses.

There were also displays from Basingstoke Tappers and Soundblast Sinfonia.

Joe Croombs, chairman of the carnival committee, said: “It was brilliant despite the drizzle that we had for most of the procession.

“From Linden Market to the Recreation Ground it went incredibly well, considering a lot of people were waiting in the rain for it to come through.

“One of the highlights, which was new this year, was the number of scarecrows, and as the procession went along there were scarecrows everywhere."

“Residents put out lots of flags to support the carnival, which they had done previously, but it looked like there were more than last year.”

The overall winner of the carnival procession was announced as the Linguatastic group from Chineham, who won the Viner Cup, named after former chairman Beryl Viner, for their costumes, dance and sing-a-long.