CHRISTMAS officially began in Westbury on Saturday as thousands of people turned out to take part in the town’s Christmas celebration, which included live music, stalls and children’s entertainment. The highlight was the countdown to the switching on of the town’s Christmas lights.
The event was organised by Westbury Town Council and Leander Morales, and the town’s Christmas lights were switched on by Orla Pearce who was the overall winner of the mayor’s Christmas card design competition. Orla was joined on stage with winners from other age groups – Logan Harding and Ava Gibbs, as well as the runners-up, Aria Wright and Ivy Christopdi.
The climate change story competition was won by ten-year-old Imogen Harris, who wrote a story about a polar bear facing the challenges of climate change.
There were performances on the day from a selection of primary school choirs, Bratton Silver Band, Westbury Choral and the Rock Choir, as well as a selection of Christmas songs from Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist, Dennis Demille. The Will Blake Band rounded off the show and managed to keep everyone warm as they danced away to some festive classics.
The mayor of Westbury, cllr Sheila Kimmins said, “Events such as this show just how strong the community spirit is in the town! We had thousands of people enjoy the event throughout the day, all taking in the entertainment and the great variety of stall holders.
“I was personally pleased to see that both the Little Boutique and the Flower Hive are the joint winners of the window competition – both windows are excellent, and it was very hard to choose.
“A massive thank you to everyone that helped make this a reality. I know it was a very long and cold day, but seeing the smiles of children’s faces made it all worthwhile. Thank you also to the staff who remained to help clean up after the event on the night. I must also give a personal thanks to cllr Mark Bailey and cllr Jane Russ for their efforts in helping create the new grotto for Santa this year, they did such a fantastic job.
“I would also like to thank Leander Morales for yet again working with the town to produce another stunning round of acts; and of course, the entertainers who performed so admirably in the cold. The music acts were so enthusiastic and really helped people get warm as they danced to all the songs, and this was certainly helped by the mulled wine and mulled cider!”
Picture: Leander Morales, Orla Pearce and mayor Sheila Kimmins
