STAR Wars fans came face-to-face with some of their favourite characters far closer to home at Cwmbran Shopping centre.

The themed event, which took place on June 4, allowed shoppers to meet and have their photos taken with some of the film franchise’s most iconic characters, including Stormtroopers and one of science fiction’s most well-known villains, Darth Vader.

Visitors of all ages were encouraged to dress up in their best Star Wars costumes for a fancy dress competition.

The visiting characters judged the entrants offering a prize of £50 prize to spend in the centre. The winner was three-year-old Erin Gough, who dressed up as a very convincing Rey from the latest sequel, The Force Awakens.

Centre manager Rikki Teml said: “We wanted to host an event that would be really fun and engaging to people of all ages in the community, and it was a huge success.

"It was great to see so many people getting involved and embracing the theme with their own Star Wars costumes, and we were really impressed with the effort people put in.”

Some of the centre’s retailers also had special discounts on the day of the event, including Sin City Comics, who offered 10 per cent off all Star Wars items.

Runner up prizes for the fancy dress competition were also provided by The Entertainer.