Hundreds of people have gathered to welcome a giant puppet representing a child refugee.

Crowds thronged in Canterbury city centre this afternoon to see Little Amal - who is travelling 8,000km across Europe from the Syrian border - pass through the streets.

Little Amal meeting the crowds in Canterbury

The 11ft 6in-tall puppet first arrived in Britain on Tuesday, when she was greeted at Folkestone Harbour Arm by cheering crowds, including a choir, bell ringers, and Hollywood actor Jude Law.

Little Amal is travelling across eight countries as part of a project called The Walk - which aims to shine a light on the stories of millions of child refugees.

Each city, town and village that she travels through is welcoming her with a cultural event staged by local artists.

Amal was created by the Handspring Puppet Company - famous for the life-sized animal puppets created for the hit play War Horse.

After leaving Folkestone on Tuesday, the puppet appeared in Dover's Pencester Gardens yesterday, leaving at 6pm in a lantern procession for Dover Castle.

She arrived in Canterbury today, setting out from the Cathedral at noon.

From there, crowds of people including a percussion band and large groups of schoolchildren paraded with the giant puppet through Sun Street, Guildhall Street, along the high street and out of the city to the University of Kent's campus.

From Canterbury, Amal will go on to London and Oxford, finishing her epic journey in Manchester on November 3.

Find out more about The Walk here.

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