STORMTROOPERS rubbed shoulders with Mary Poppins and Hogwarts wizards and witches when thousands celebrated all matters geek-related.

Families came for miles to take part in York Unleashed, which organisers say is the biggest Unleashed Comic convention in the country.

Those attending were all ages from the very young to the very old.

They happily used inspiration from fantasy, science fiction and online gaming to dress as their heroes or beloved villains, mix genres in their own unique costume, meet those who portray screen characters and generally enjoy themselves.

"It is coming together of like minded geeks enjoying themselves and having fun," said event manager Sharon Hall. "

"Come in costume, or don't come in costume, it doesn't matter. It's a great family day out.

"Geek is cool. It's about enjoying geekiness."

Owl experts Amy Jo Lawrence, accompanied by 11-year-old owl Milo, and Mark Tolley, with five-year-old owl Xena, attended the event in costume with the aim of discouraging people from owning owls.

"It takes longer to train someone to look after an owl than it does to train an owl," she said.

The event took over the whole Knavesmire stand.

Pre-event ticket sales topped 1,000 and hundreds more tickets were bought on the door.

The onstage entertainment ranged from unusual music to a talk about stopping bullying.

Downstairs, fans had the chance to have their photo taken surrounded by fantasy props.

Upstairs on two floors there were traders selling all sorts of geek-related items including costumes and fantasy books.

There was also a long line of actors from fantasy and blockbuster movies available to talk to fans and sign their autographs.