The rain was a pain but the wet stuff wasn’t going to stop the hardy souls of Liss from enjoying a royal afternoon of fun.

It was a case of the show must go on for villagers on Saturday as hundreds defied the weather to enjoy the Liss coronation celebrations.

Things were drier at the start as many villagers sat down in the Triangle Centre with a cuppa to watch a live screening of the big event in London.

Proceedings then moved to the Memorial Garden where a combined chorus of Liss Junior and Infant School pupils sang a variety of coronation-themed songs.

Some of the participating and watching youngsters also took part in a tree-planting ceremony, with Liss Parish Council chairman Keith Brewer dishing the dirt along with villagers of the year Tom Collard and Iain Neasom.

He told the crowd that revellers were “following tradition” as the last coronation was also a soggy affair.

He said: “It’s my real honour and privilege to dedicate this tree to our new monarch King Charles III. 

“The tree is a lime tree which has been kindly donated by our friends at Hilliers Nursery, so thank you to them.” 

The ceremony was followed by a slightly comical moment as a howling dog accompanied a rendition of the national anthem by the Liss Band.

But the latter played on throughout the afternoon and their music provided the backdrop to the Fun on the Field event where more than a dozen defiant stallholders had set up shop.

They included Emma Woodford, who spent three evenings prepping her delicious Baby Spice Bakes, the Crossover Centre and the Families of Liss Schools, whose fundraisers set up a trio of tombolas.

The Scouts and Florios Pizza provided food while the Liss Forest Ballet School deserved a royal handshake for demonstrating their nifty footwork.