Charlotte Downs, 29, a teaching assistant from Highcliffe, said: “My son is looking at the reindeer right now. He’s very excited to see them. It’s a really great family oriented event. We’re loving it.”

Joe O’Connell, 48, who works for mobile bar company Drinks by Dexter, said: “It’s lovely, but it is cold. It could be raining though. I got the bus down so that I could have come mulled wine when it gets colder later."

Rose Lewis, 24. who was in the Christmas parade as a child herself, said: “When I was 5 I was a Christmas pudding in the parade. It’s really great, my favourite part is all of the different kinds of food they have here.”

Joan Botes, 77, from Christchurch, said: “We’ve come every year for the past ten years. My son made Santa’s grotto, so we thought we would check it out. There is a real feeling of community spirit here. It is oh so lovely.”

Sonya Burns, 37, an accountant, said “It’s really good fun, and it is actually an enjoyable event to come to. I’ve managed to get some Christmas shopping done, and I’m now in the Christmas spirit.”

Jose Teixeira, 28, who is a geographer, said: “It’s quite nice. There are lots of stall and lots of different foods on offer for people to true. There’s a real Christmas feel which is great to see.”

Maria Olivierra, 28, a nurse, said: “It’s our first time here, we actually heard about it in the Echo, and we are really enjoying ourselves."

Angela Dennison, 54, and Gillian Foster, 45, who were in the parade and are both teachers at Christchurch Junior School, said: "The school children made all the lanterns. It is a really beautiful sight."

Nyla Keating, 4, who was dancing to all the Christmas music despite the cold weather, said: “I like the reindeer and the music. I have had a really good time."