A VINTAGE funfair out of blockbuster films such as Paddington 2 and Rocketman is coming to Basingstoke this weekend.

Carters Steam fair arrives in War Memorial Park this weekend and will open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.

As well as a range of vintage fairground rides and attractions, residents can also expect to enjoy a fireworks display at 9pm on Saturday.

Dating from the 1890s to the 1960s, the vintage fairground rides have featured in films such as Paddington 2 and Rocketman and TV shows such as Call the Midwife.

The fair has been grounded for the last year because of the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions.

Fairground owner Joby Carter has put a lot of thought into ensuring the fairground experience is Covid-secure.

He is giving free rides to those who book online and choose the day they want to visit as this enables Carters to monitor visitor numbers.

Around the fair there are hand sanitising stations, and the rides are cleaned and sanitised at regular intervals.

The rides are also laid out further apart to enable more space for visitors to social distance from others as they move around the fair.

Joby said: “It’s great to be out on tour again after a year in lockdown and I’m excited to set up the fair at Basingstoke. We are looking forward to seeing lots of smiles when people visit.

"Children have missed out on a lot of fun over the last year or so – some toddlers that have grown up in lockdown haven’t had chance to visit a fair yet!

"We wanted to find a way to bring back the family fun and the smiles to children’s faces, but in a way that was as reassuring as possible for the parents. Our focus right now is on creating good old-fashioned fun for families in a covid-secure way. If you book your ride tokens online before you arrive, we give you extra free rides as a thank you.

“I encourage anyone visiting to take a close look at the lettering and artwork at the fair- it has all been done by hand using traditional signwriting skills and techniques – no computers or fancy software programmes! Stand next to our brightly coloured trucks with huge lettering over 1 meter high and see if you can figure out how we manage to paint it all by hand!

"During lockdown I was thrilled to see the interest in these traditional skills, and I have now shared these skills globally – I think we’ve had book purchases from over 40 countries so far!

"I hope you enjoy the artwork as you stroll around the fair. If you’d like to give signwriting or fancy lettering a try yourself, you can even buy a copy of the book when you visit or come to one of my courses in Maidenhead later in the year.”