OLD Basing has been officially twinned with a popular fictitious village after coming top in a national competition.

The village won the competition to be twinned with Sylvanian Village - the fictional world within the toy range Sylvanian Families.

The competition was launched to mark the 30th anniversary of the iconic 1980s toy, and a special twinning ceremony was held at Old Basing Infant School to mark the occasion.

Old Basing beat villages across the UK following a public vote, narrowly beating rivals in Overton.

More than 1,300 votes were cast during the public poll for the 12 shortlisted finalists, and Old Basing secured more than 600 - 44 per cent of the vote, closely followed by Overton which gained 500 votes - 37 per cent of the vote.

As part of the prize package, Old Basing Infant School received 30 Sylvanian Families toy sets, a year's free membership to the Sylvanian Families Premium Fan Club for its pupils and £500 worth of toys to sell at its village fete to raise money for the school.