EVERY year schools across Basingstoke and Deane put together a festive Christmas Nativity show, which is often rehearsed for weeks.

Staff have the difficult job of helping the children learn their lines and then staging it for parents, carers, and the school community.

Borough schools dressed to impress and performed to their very best for audiences across the area this year and there are some lovely photos of the treasured moments too.

From shepherds to wise men, Mary, Joseph, and the donkey - and a few more unusual additions - these youngsters got into the festive spirit ahead of the school holidays and gave their all to their respective performances.

Here we feature pictures from some of the schools and nurseries across the borough. 

We hope it brings families across Basingstoke a little bit of joy and puts smiles on faces to see such happy little ones.

If you want to pick up a hard copy of the picture as a keepsake, all these photos can be either found in the edition of Thursday, December 14