IMAGINATIONS ran wild among those who produced lanterns for this year’s festival in Ulverston.

Organisers promoted creativity with the theme of what could be hidden under local landmark Hoad Hill – and an estimated 6,000 people turned up to see the results.

They were treated to a spectacular procession that included Daleks, dragons, spiders, treasure chests and even a ‘Hoad’ underground Tube station.

The high attendance was a triumph for the event after its future was called into question earlier in the year due to a shortage of organisers.

There were gasps of amazement as the crowds caught sight of larger lanterns, including a huge shark created by pupils from Swarthmoor Primary School.

Another showstopper was a 14 foot replica of Gru from the film ‘Despicable Me’, along with his army of minions, courtesy of Second Ulverston Scouts.

The giant lantern took the scouts six weeks to make and was finished just three hours before the parade.

Treasurer Gavin Knott praised the estimated 550 people who took part in the procession.

“It was a brilliant night,” he said. “There was a very good turnout and the town did us justice with all the effort they put in.”

Chris and Jennie Dennett and Paul Burton spent several weeks making their 12 foot fairy, which headed up one of the four processions weaving through the town centre on Saturday night.

“It’s so big that we just had to get a police escort - it was great to see police stopping traffic for a fairy,” said Chris, who has taken part in the procession for 12 years.

“The base of it is a wheelchair which makes it easier to move but we’ve had a few incidents with the head getting hit by trees.”

Ulverston-based charity Alice’s Escapes, created in memory of Bucket List teen Alice Pyne, had a team of lanterns in the procession, including ‘Mabel’, made by Alice in 2011 and inspired by her dog of the same name.

From four separate meeting points, the ‘River of Light’ streamed through the town centre and merged in County Square before a firework display at Ford Park.

Music was provided by local groups Freakbeats, B Jamba, Kookaburra All Stars, Boom Dang and Blast Furness.

The procession was the cu-mination of the 2014 Ulverston Charter Festival, which saw a week of events in the town including bingo, a quiz, a flower arranging demonstration and a WWI talk with Robert Wheatley.