THE people of Malvern may have been surprised last weekend, as it's not every day one sees badgers walking through town, but that's exactly what happened.

In support of National Badger Day, children and adult supporters of the animal donned costumes and masks to parade through Great Malvern from Priory Park to St Anne's Well Cafe, nestled away in the hills.

The national event, organised by the Badger Trust, saw the Malvern supporters carrying placards protesting against the badger cull.

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies said: "It was a lovely day, but walking up the hills in a badger suit was hard work.

"However, it was a good day for everyone and was a lot of fun."

The day is staged to celebrate the importance of badgers to the British countryside and its people, and saw around 20 people take part.

"We were delighted at the positive response from the public and the number of shoppers and families with children who joined in the walk.

"This was further evidence of the great love that people in this country have for badgers and the very strong opposition to the badger cull.

"The vast majority of the British population are opposed to the slaughter of badgers and are appalled that the government wants to authorise the killing of 100,000 of them nationwide."

He also claimed more and more people each year are converting to vegan or vegetarian ways of life.

For more information on the campaign group visit worcsveg.org.uk or call 07703 558 724.