A west Oxfordshire village halted its celebrations as it fell silent in memory of a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

The minute’s silence punctuated Bampton’s 57th Shirt Race, and saw villagers bow their heads to honour Marine Jason Mackie, killed in the Basharan area of Helmand province.

The 21-year-old, who lived in the village, died instantly when the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by an explosive device.

Don Rouse, who helps organise the Shirt Race, said: “Just before the presentations, all of Bampton was crammed into the Market Square and we decided to have a minute’s silence for Jason Mackie.

“During that time, you could hear a pin drop. But as soon as the minute was up, a huge cheer went up.”

More than 30 teams took part in the village race – in which villagers of all ages dressed in night shirts or fancy dress, and raced in prams around seven pubs.

Saturday’s event was organised by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing (Spajers) and raised £600 to pay for outings for the older people of the village.

The owners of three former pubs – The Jubilee, in High Street; The Wheatsheaf, in Bridge Street; and The Eagle, in Church View – joined existing hostelries in laying on drinks.