THE CHARGE has begun.

After more than 12-months of planning the first rhinos took to the streets of Southampton during a special one-off parade in glorious sunshine.

Showcasing their colourful designs, the magnificent life-sized sculptures rolled through the city centre to give people a glimpse of what to expect on the Go! Rhinos trail when it goes live on Saturday.

Shoppers stopped in their tracks as the 24 rhinos paraded past on seven floats to officially launch the public art extravaganza which promises to give Southampton its “wow” factor and boost the local economy.

Southampton Olympic diver Pete Waterfield was also involved in the parade, waving he crowd from one of the cars.

The trail will feature 36 life-sized rhinos in total and 61 mini rhinos, which have been decorated by school children across Hampshire.