A magical parade of coloured lanterns passed through Sheerness town centre, but after a disappointing turn-out, organisers are urging more people to get involved in the community event next year.

The lantern parade, organised by Big Fish Arts, took place on Saturday and involved about 300 people from various organisations and about 150 lanterns.

Workshops were organised in the run-up to the event and various groups including the Relay for Life team, Rose Street and Richmond schools, Cubs and Beavers groups from Trinity Church, and Badgers and Cadets from St John Ambulance, were involved.

The parade left Beachfields Park and passed through the High Street, up to Millennium Way, along Broadway and back to the Clock Tower, where refreshments were provided and carols were sung.

Organiser Chris Reed said: “It went extremely well.

“It stopped raining before the event and stayed reasonably dry throughout. It was extremely jolly and festive and looked really magical.

“I can’t honestly say there were lots of people lining the route, although people in the shops did rush out to their doors.

“We were slightly disappointed by the lack of support.

“It’s a good opportunity for any organisations that wants to come along and take part to promote themselves as well. The more the merrier.”

Musical entertainment was provided by the Big Fish Band and by Peter Cook’s Scratch Samba Band.

The event was paid for by a grant from the Community Cohesion Grant and by Big Fish Arts.