PEOPLE from across the country who live in places named Whitchurch visited the one in north Hampshire for an event to celebrate their namesake.

The inaugural Worldwide Whitchurch Weekend involved 14 different areas with the same name, including one in Canada.

The event kicked off on Friday evening with a procession through the town, as people gathered to admire a collection of vintage cars, before heading to local pubs to enjoy live entertainment and music.

Basingstoke Gazette:

On the Saturday there were various sports tournaments held around the town, with teams and individuals from the different Whitchurches competing against each other in squash, five-a-side football and bowls.

A host of events entertained the crowds throughout the day, including a birds of prey display, ferret racing and bake off competition, before 1,000 balloons were released into the sky.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The fun continued into the evening and on the Sunday, when guided walks were held around the town along with a special church service at All Hallows.

Oak trees were presented to representatives from each of the Whitchurches taking part in the event, to be planted in their own towns.

Paul Driver, who came up with the idea for the celebration, said: "We were looking for something unique to do. We kept getting phone calls from people in other Whitchurches looking to hire venues and finding out they had the wrong place. There's all these Whitchurches so why don't we get them all together? It's been really good.

"We had a number of aims, one was to engage as many people as possible. Hopefully we have done that. We had lots of different organisations involved including the shops, businesses and pubs. Everyone has come together which is great. We wanted to raise the profile of Whitchurch. I think we have done that."

Basingstoke Gazette:

Those at the event heard a special welcome from the Mayor of Whitchurch-Stoufville in Canada, Justin K. Altmann, who showed his support for the celebration.

In a letter sent to the hosting town's mayor Barry Jackman, he said: "While I cannot join you in person this weekend, please know that I am joining you in spirit. Please accept my very best wishes for a highly successful event."

Paul said the aim is for each of the Whitchurches to host the event in the future.

The 52-year-old father-of-three said Whitchurch in Shropshire had already agreed to hold the next celebration.

He added: "It will give everyone else the chance to visit different Whitchurches. We had people from as far away as Pembrokeshire."