STREET parties were the order of the day for many residents as the Basingstoke borough was swept along on a sea of patriotic pride.

Union flags and the flag of St George were in evidence across the area as local people celebrated the Golden Jubilee weekend.

Although there were only a handful of official street parties, many neighbours got together to hold impromptu small scale celebrations to mark the big occasion.

With many people off work until at least today, everyone got well into the party spirit as they did their bit to create a special memory of the historic royal event.

The borough celebrations started in earnest on Sunday when thousands of people flocked to Basingstoke's War Memorial Park to enjoy the free feast of entertainment laid on at the Picnic in the Park.

Borough mayor Rita Burgess was delighted with the public response to the event which was organised by Basingstoke council in association with Festival Place.

Cllr Burgess said: "We wanted to do something that the majority of people could get to."

See The Gazette on Friday for reports and pictures of Golden Jubilee events from across the Basingstoke area.