Thousands of people braved the wind and rain to flock to a giant Christmas fair in Wickford.

The event, organised by Wickford Christmas Lights Association, coincided with the switching-on of the town centre lights.

Police closed off the High Street between 3.30pm and 9pm for the parade. The fair included a procession with a town crier, Father Christmas, bands, majorettes, craft stalls, choirs, clowns, and a Punch and Judy show.

Clowning around - Lee Piper and Nutty Norman provided some of the fun

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.