A LARGE group of what appeared to be walkers burst into song in the centre of Chep­stow on Saturday afternoon.

The "flashmob" turned out to be members of three local singing groups who helped mark the first anniversary of Chepstow as a "Walkers are Welcome" town.

The groups ­– the Chepstow Castle Singing Club, the Duke's Yard club and another based at Taurus Crafts in Lydney – sang a number of walking-related songs after demands for encores from the Saturday afternoon audience.

As well as singing, there were also some dance moves choreographed by Jo Perrin who works at Wyedean School.

It had been planned to have a balloon launch but that was cancelled at the last minute because of concerns about the environmental impact.

Walkers are Welcome is a nationwide initiative to make towns more "walker-friendly" and with three major routes on its doorstep, walkers are an important part of Chepstow's tourism economy.

As well as the Saturday event there were a number of walks in the area over the weekend to celebrate the anniversary.

Paul Gowen, chair of Chepstow Walkers are Welcome, said: "It's been a very successful weekend and the walks were well supported.

"We decided not to have a balloon launch when our attention was drawn to the Marine Conservation Society's Don't Let Go campaign.

"The campaign discourages balloon releases because of the impact they can have on the environment."