Residents in Bratton gathered to celebrate the village’s Christmas light switch-on, enjoying an evening of festive decorations, music and seasonal treats.
Bratton Village Green was lit up on Friday 28th November, with the countdown led by Ray Davies, the village crier. The Jubilee Hall and The Duke Inn also synchronised their lights to switch on at the same time.
The crowd then moved on to enjoy sweet treats and mulled wine in the Jubilee Hall, while Bratton Brass Band performed on stage.
“I thought it was a really good evening,” said Bryan Parkinson. “The band was good; the food was good. I was surprised by how many people turned up. It was great to see.”
Councillor Cathy Elliott, who chairs both the Village Green and the Jubilee Hall Committees, said, “I hadn’t expected so many people to come back to the hall after the lights were all switched on. It turned into a super evening.”
Parish Chair Keith Rayward added, “An incredible effort went into preparing the light installation, which made the splendid turn-out most gratifying. It was clearly greatly appreciated by the village.”
A team of volunteers from the Bratton Village Green team, comprising Parish Chair Councillor Keith Rayward, Committee Chair Councillor Cathy Elliott, Councillor Eddie Cole, Bryan Parkinson and Steve Crosby, braved the cold throughout the week to prepare for the event.
Two members of the team were even outside putting up lights on the coldest day of the year.
“I couldn’t feel my fingers most of the time,” said Bryan Parkinson. “In fact, it was so cold that we almost had to abandon the project,” added Councillor Eddie Cole, “but we knew that we had to get the job done, so we persevered.”
