The rain obligingly held off for the hundreds of schoolchildren who danced through the streets of Penzance on Thursday, March 5 - St Piran's Day - for the 21st St Piran Furry.

Organised by St Piran in Penwith with grant funding from Penzance Council, the procession left the top of Causewayhead at 10.15am and danced through the town to Morrab Gardens for enthusiastic renditions of Trelawny and Cornwall My Home.

Town mayor Stephen Reynolds gave an emotional speech at his last major public event before stepping down in May. He described the event as “bigger than ever - we’re going to have to get an extension on Morrab Gardens to fit everybody in!”

Town crier Phil Northcott will also step down after eight, ear-piercingly eloquent years. “On this day in Penzance, Cornish folk stand proud and tall,” he said. “Whether born here, drawn here or a recent blow-in, a steadfast love of this land is your only qualification.”