RINGWOOD residents turned out to support the town’s second annual Christmas fair on Saturday.

Children of all ages and their families came together to enjoy fun entertainment including Christmas carols, dancing, a giant inflatable snow globe, fairground rides, craft workshops and stalls selling a host of Christmas gifts, food and drink during the day-long event.

To see all the pictures from the fair click here

Visitors did not let the odd patch of rain dampen their spirits as they enjoyed the fun in Ringwood, which culminated in a lantern parade from the Furlong Centre.

The town’s Christmas lights were then switched on at the Market Place stage, next to the Christmas tree and Santa’s Grotto, to the delight of traders and Ringwood residents who had come along to watch.

Steve Nash, town clerk for Ringwood Town Council, was one of the organisers of the popular event, alongside Mandy Oldfield and Kim Alice.

He said: “It’s all about reinvigorating the high street and showing people why it’s a place to visit at Christmas on a day which is also National Small Business Saturday.

“The event was opened by the town mayor, Michael Thierry, and local MP, Desmond Swayne.

“We had giant snow machines so that we had real snow in Ringwood for when the crowd got here, free street entertainment, the lantern parade and lantern workshop before that in the Meeting House.”

Steve said that there were also Dickensian carol singers, Santa in his grotto and 12 elves and the town council ran a reindeer trail photographic competition for people to enjoy as they carried out their Christmas shopping on the first weekend in December.

Santa had arrived in a fleet of Renault Twizys, as opposed to the traditional mode of transport of a sleigh, to celebrate the official announcement of Ringwood being named as the 2016 Brand New Forest Town of the Year.