IT'S almost the real thing...Newnham's splendid outdoor nativity which last year attracted hundreds of participants is to be repeated this Friday.

Tea towels, dressing gowns, net curtains and tinsel will be the order of the day, says the vicar, Rev Juliet Stephenson.

The procession will leave St Peter's Church at 6pm and is scheduled to arrive at the 'stable' ­– Newnham's riverside salmon hut – 45 minutes later. Along the way and following the traditional script, there will be stops at the three village pubs – the Ship, the Railway and The Club – where Mary and Joseph will ask for a room only to be turned away.

Says Rev Stephenson: "So many people asked if we were doing it again, we simply had no choice. We have had such strong support from the community that this year we hope to make the experience even better.

"Several mums have come forward and offered their babies for the role of Jesus and many more are looking forward to dressing up as shepherds and angels."

The procession will include a donkey and a llama.

Visitors are being encouraged to add to the atrmosphere by dressing up in costume and, if possible, to bring a torch.