BASINGSTOKE ventriloquist Steve Hewlett was the guest of honour at an annual school fete.

Pupils at St Anne’s Primary School, in Pinkerton Road, were treated to a performance from the Britain’s Got Talent star thanks to the fact he has a nephew at the South Ham school.

He took some time out of his busy theatre tour to entertain children, parents and teachers with his dummy characters at the school’s summer fair.

Chairman of the parent teacher association (PTA), Selina Curioni, said the event had been a big success, with more than 200 people attending.

She said: “We were expecting the worst in the morning as there were heavy downpours so we set everything up inside, but we were really lucky that it cleared up as the fete started and we had some wonderful weather during the afternoon.

“We had some really good feedback from people about all the activities and everyone was very positive about Steve’s show.

“We’re very grateful to him and to everyone else who came along on the day. We organise it, but it wouldn’t mean anything if nobody turned up.”

As well as the ventriloquism show, visitors to the fete also enjoyed a barbecue, bouncy castle, face painting and other traditional entertainment.

All money raised from the event will go back into the school and help to subsidise coach trips, fund netball posts and repair outdoor spaces.

Lorna Clarke, a PTA member who helped organise the fete, said: “It’s one of the biggest events on our calendar and we have a really good core of parents on the PTA who are very dedicated. We were really very lucky to have Steve Hewlett perform this year.”