THOUSANDS of people wrapped up on a chilly bank holiday Monday to enjoy Chobham’s biggest community event of the year.

The cool, grey day – in contrast to last year’s sweltering temperatures and cloud-free skies – failed to deter people from turning up to line the streets for the procession and packing the recreation ground for the carnival fete.

“We were a bit worried that the unseasonal weather would reduce the size or the attendance, but the crowd was probably bigger than last year,” said carnival association chairman Dave Took. “We were all melting by the end of the 2018 event and the heat was too much for some.

“The parade was a bit shorter than last year’s record breaker, but there were some fantastic, really colourful, entries and we’d like to thank everyone who took part for their efforts.

The procession theme of The Animal Kingdom fuelled the imagination of village organisations and other groups from across the area. The biggest creature was a giant yellow duck on the RNLI lifeboats charity float and tiny dogs accompanied an RSPCA van “dressed up” as a lion.

The overall parade winner was St Lawrence Primary School, Chobham, building on its emblem of a bee with a giant beehive accompanied by children and adults dressed as the insects.

Chobham Agricultural and Horticultural Society won the prize for the best motorised float with its farmyard theme and members dressed as hens.

For the full story and special picture feature get today's (9 May) News & Mail