SHOPPING centre chiefs have scrapped the festive Basingstoke parade of Father Christmas and schoolchildren that has weaved its way from the Top of Town into The Malls for the last five years.

The parade, featuring Father Christmas in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has included characters from the Haymarket and Anvil festive productions, as well as local organisations and schoolchildren in fancy dress.

But this year, the festive parade will be replaced with static Christmas displays and events, including mask-making.

Petronella Nattrass, manager for Basingstoke town centre, said people will still have a chance to see the popular reindeer and some of the other elements in static displays, but confirmed there would be no more parades.

Instead, a Venice Carnival theme was being considered for next year.

She said: "We now have a programme of town centre events that we will develop over the years. This year, we will have the reindeer and Christmas lights and more participatory events.

"As a marketing group, which includes the Haymarket and The Anvil, we will be looking to see each year how we can meet the changes taking place. We want to keep it fresh and lively but the lead-in time for these things is considerable.

"The parade has been a very successful event but last year there were logistical difficulties with it going through as the physical nature of the town centre has changed. We are also balancing where our efforts are concentrated so that no one part of the town is dominating."

But the new policy has been roundly criticised by Gill Godfrey, secretary of Old Basing Royal British Legion Corps of Drums, which has taken part in the parade each year.

She said The Malls management had been trying to plan the parade this year, but claimed Festival Place bosses had proved less than festive in their approach.

She said it meant the Top of Town would lose out again and the drummers would lose their one chance of parading in their home town.

Gill added: "We have been advised that the reindeer will now be appearing at two static venues and that the band can give a static display if it wishes.

"But it is not the same as a parade, which not only generates a huge amount of business on the day, but more importantly, kick-starts the season of "goodwill".