THE birthday of one of the country's most famous authors has been celebrated as part of an historic year.
Members of the Basingstoke and Deane Jane Austen Group, known as BADJAG, gathered at the statue of Jane Austen outside of the Willis Museum on Friday morning, the day before the author's birthday, to mark the occasion and lay flowers.
To mark the historic 200th anniversary of the Steventon author's death this year, the group spearheaded an array of events this year including the Sitting with Jane BookBench trail and the installation of the statue of the author.
At the ceremony, Phil Howe, member of BADJAG, said: "It is with pride and humility that we lay these flowers this morning on behalf of all the millions of Jane Austen fans from all around the world to acknowledge her birthday and celebrate one of the world's greatest ever novelists."
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