PICTURES: Daventry Town welcomes Spirit of Christmas and Lantern Parade

Rides on a Ferris wheel, a carousel, face-painting, a nativity photo booth and donkey rides were all on the agenda, as was meeting and greeting Santa in his grotto.

The evening ended with the Lantern Parade, led by Santa, winding his way through the town followed by children carrying their lanterns crunching through the year’s first snowfall.

The parade ended in Bowen Square with a performance by the Daventry Players who sang Christmas songs to a delighted audience.

A Daventry Town Council spokeswoman said: "A big thank you to all who made the event possible and to all those who braved the weather and joined in the fun."