Windsor's celebrated women's Morris dancing team kept shoppers, visitors and residents entertained across the town on Saturday.

The team was founded in 1974 and members have taken their classic example of English heritage as far afield as Jamaica, Canada, the USA, France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.

Recently they took part in the TV documentary For Folk's Sake: Morris Dancing and Me which covered the decision by the formerly men-only organisation The Morris Ring to change their constitution to allow member teams to include women.

Member Marian Ballhatchet said: "The majority of our dances, performed to the music of a melodeon and a drum, are our interpretation of traditional dance styles that originated in the Cotswold villages of Badby and Brackley. In 2006 we also began to develop a new tradition which we have named Windsor-on Thames.

"Most of the dances are for six or eight members but occasionally fewer dancers will perform a 'jig'. Each Morris side adopts its own style of dress and the Windsor team is characterised by its all white shirts and trousers, with rosettes and ribbons providing a striking splash of red, yellow and green.

"Windsor's dances are usually enhanced by one or both of our 'fools' who act as Master of Ceremonies to the audience and a catalyst to the dancers - watch out for the Round Tower hat and the 'pig's bladder'."

They were joined by three male guest groups - Seven Champions Molly Dancers based in Kent who are characterised by the rhythm of their hobnailed boots and unaccompanied woman singers, Mr Hemmings' Traditional Abingdon Morris who maintain the tradition of Abingdon Morris Dancing and Yateley Morris Dancers.

The dancers went all over Windsor, stopping off at the Windsor Yards shopping centre, Peascod Street, the Guildhall and Park Street.

Windsor Morris meet throughout the year on Wednesday evenings for practice at Gardeners Hall in St Leonard's Road.

Free taster sessions for anyone interested are being held on Wednesday, September 18 and 25 and October 2 and 9 from 8pm to 10pm.