Alton Community Centre began celebrating its 50th birthday year with its inaugural annual Duck Race.

Duck owners and their supporters gathered at Cut Pound to see 107 wonderfully decorated ducks enter the water to battle for the coveted first place on the stretch of the River Wey running beneath the centre.

Diane the Dinosaur joined in the fun, and there were even three ringers in the race - two mallards and a moorhen!

There was an element of peril when a few ducks got stuck in the weeds, but they were rescued and able to continue the race. No ducks were left behind and all 107 passed the finish line in front of the centre.

Every owner received a tasty treat for competing and there was a £50 voucher for first place.

There were first and second prizes for the best decorated ducks, chosen from an amazing array of designs by people of all ages ranging from beautiful patterns to characters from television, music and movies.

An Alton Community Association spokesperson said: “Fifty years for a small local charity such as Alton Community Association is quite a milestone and one we are incredibly proud of. We wanted to kick off our celebrations with something light-hearted and fun.”

Forthcoming birthday events include a children’s disco, a free have-a-go qigong session and a talk on the history of corsetry, because the building was formerly a factory making foundation garments.

Alton Community Centre will also be going back to the 1980s. Original disc jockey Dave Paton will revive the discos held there during that decade, and there will be a retro keep fit class.

The spokesperson added: “We continue to be a community hub at the heart of our community, as we have been for the last 50 years for the people of Alton.”