THEY were regular performers at fetes and carnivals for three decades.

Dozens of girls dressed in smart blazers and mini skirts marched through the streets of Hampshire wowing onlookers with their baton-twirling skills.

Bill and Mary Evans spent 30 years leading three majorette groups in Southampton.

The couple started Southampton Majorettes in the mid 1970s with around 80 girls.

Then, around 1978, Mayflower Majorettes was formed with the support of Mary’s daughter Carol and girls aged seven and above trained twice a week in Lordshill.

A third group, Solent Majorettes, was then formed.

As well as performing at events including Romsey Carnival, Debenhams’ Christmas Parade and at Wilton House in Salisbury, the troupes appeared on TV and even scooped awards at British Majorettes Association competitions.

Now 15 years after their last group finished Mary is looking to donate some of their equipment to a majorette group.

She hopes to give away a four-foot-long mace, which she originally bought for £100 in the 1970s, along with 40 tennis skirts and battery-powered light-up batons.

Groups interested can contact Rebecca Pearson on 023 8042 4495 or email rebecca.pearson@dailyecho.co.uk.