The Goodwill evening procession begins in Stroud

I went to town to relieve Helena for a short break this evening. She was running a special all day market stall on this Goodwill Day close to the centre of town. I left her to it unfortunately as I know she would have enjoyed watching the annual procession from the Subscription Rooms.

All the local schools and other people had been making paper lanterns of all sorts and sizes which are carried through the streets. I rather liked this lady and her horse which seems to have been created by Cashes Green School. There were hundreds of people all lined up and the procession must have been two hundred yards long as it snakes about the town accompanied by musicians and bands and two sets of female Morris dancers, one in their twenties and another of much more advanced years. Everyone had a lot of fun in the very cold air.