THE Okehampton Lantern Festival drew hundreds of people into the town centre last Friday night for a spectacular visual event.

Wren Music co-ordinated the event, with Gavin Lewery and Becks Cox constructing a large carriage and dog lantern to recreate the story of Lady Howard. The ghost tale is one of the most notorious from Dartmoor, which tells the story of Lady Howard, whose ghostly spirit was made to spend eternity riding from Tavistock to Okehampton Castle and back each night in a carriage pulled by a huge black dog with blood red eyes and savage fangs, supposedly as punishment for murdering her four husbands.

The event was held in collaboration with OCRA, Okehampton United Charities, Okehampton Town Council, Okehampton Lions and others. Lantern bearers marched from St James’ Chapel in the centre of Okehampton to Simmons Park, creating a feast for the eyes along the way.

Okehampton mayor Cllr Jan Goffey called the procession an ‘incredible spectacle’.

Pictures by Mick Burke.