A CENTURY of carnival will be celebrated in Aldbourne on Saturday.

The 100th procession will take place on Saturday and will feature a whole host of creative floats of all shapes, colours and themes.

It will leave Woodley’s Meadow just before 6pm and then hit the streets for an hour to entertain the crowds of onlookers. It will head past the Post Office and up Marlborough Road and then along Farm Lane before coming back into the centre of the village.

Everyone is being invited to enter into the spirit and dress up with witty, imaginative and wacky costumes.

There will be a raffle, bar and barbecue plus children’s attractions in the carnival field and a fun fair in the Square and on the Green from 2pm until 10pm, as well as live music near the Blue Boar from 8pm.

Judging takes place at 4.30pm with presentation of cups and shields around 5.15pm the raffle grand draw will be at 5.45pm with the prize of £500 up for grabs.

This year’s carnival queen is Lauren Goddard, who was officially crowned on Saturday.

On Sunday, Aldbourne Churches Together will hold a service in the Square, followed by a performance from the Aldbourne Band Concert and a poignant flag lowering ceremony to mark the centenary celebration.

Jo Hutchings, one of the organisers, said: “Aldbourne has always known how to organise a party. It is always a colourful and noisy spectacle, and the organisers are hoping for an extra special show for the 100th parade.

“We think that the carnival evolved from the Hospital Sunday Parades led by Aldbourne Band. There's certainly evidence that funds were raised for Savernake Hospital right through to the late 1940s.

"After that, the money collected was, and is still, applied to the benefit of village groups and organisations.”