A Rolls-Royce, a horsebox and even a bike were among the weird and wonderful modes of transport as the Women’s Institute baton relay swept through Southampton and into the New Forest.

Dozens of people turned out to join in the celebrations as the baton was passed around on its penultimate day in the county.

Yesterday’s events were the latest in a series across the county with WI groups in Winchester, Fareham, Titchfield and the Test Valley among those helping the baton make its journey to the Royal Albert Hall in London in time for June 4.

It arrived in Southampton by bike where it was handed over from the Hamwic WI group to members of the Beaulieu Group of WIs.

They took it aboard the Hythe Ferry before it was transported safely back to shore on the King George V Hythe Pier train.

The variety of transport did not stop there as it was taken to St Andrews Church Hall in Dibden Purlieu in a Rolls- Royce motorcar.

It was then on to Copythorne Village Hall in Cadnam in a 1930s Rover salon car before the baton ended the day at Godshill near Fordingbridge.

Today the relay will enter its final day in Hampshire, starting off from Ringwood, where it will leave with a procession of vintage cars and travel to Burley.

From there it will head south to Brock-enhurst on a horse and carriage before coming to its final resting place in the county in Pennington and Lymington before setting sail across the Solent to the Isle of Wight tomorrow.

Organiser Ros Cooper said: “It has been absolutely brilliant – it has been a lovely day.

“I think it shows that the WI is just as relevant in 2015 than as it was when it started in 1915.”