ONE of the largest crowds in living memory witnessed the official switch-on of Wellington’s Christmas lights on Saturday (November 25).

An estimated 2,000 people turned out for the occasion and packed half the length of High Street for the culmination of a day which featured a Christmas produce market, entertainers such as jugglers and fire-eaters, school choirs, and, of course, Santa in his grotto.

The day was organised by Wellington Town Council, which will discover on Wednesday (November 29) if it has been named by the National Association of Local Council’s as ‘Council of the Year’.

The town council has built a reputation since the Covid lockdowns for organising large-scale community events, including taking over the annual summer street fair.

The Christmas lights switch-on was no exception with the day starting at 9 am with the opening of the Christmas market.

With the weather remaining dry and mild on Saturday the town centre crowds gradually grew as the day progressed and the three public car parks were full to overflowing as the council had paid for them to be free.

There were long queues of families with children waiting to see Santa while choirs from several of the town’s primary schools performed on stage and street entertainers roamed through the crowds.

Due to a shortage of reindeer sleigh landing strips in Wellington, the council arranged for Santa to be driven into town by Andrew Grabham in his 1935 Austin Seven car.

Shops, pubs, and cafes in the town reported a brisk trade throughout the day, particularly those which stayed open late as the crowds dispersed and people shopped before going home.

Wellington Mayor Cllr Marcus Barr led the countdown to pressing the button which turned on the lights and thanked the council’s small team of staff who had worked hard to arrange the day and make sure everything ran smoothly.

By the time the new display of gold and white coloured lights were lit up, High Street was packed solid with people and even more were watching from the corners of South Street and North Street.

Former town mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd said she was overwhelmed by the huge turnout of people this year.

Cllr Lloyd said: “What a wonderful day it was.

“There were loads of people there all day and the crowds increased dramatically for the lights switch-on.

“The entertainment was great, especially the choirs from the schools who were fantastic.

“Our wonderful staff should be thanked fort their efforts, not just for Saturday when they worked a 13 and 15-hour day but for all the work and preparation that was needed to make it such a success.”

Cllr Lloyd said the success of the day validated the town council’s decision to renew its three-year contract for the Christmas lights which ‘look really, really great’.

Also on Saturday morning, Wellington School saw large crowds as it held its traditional Christmas fair in the Alan Rogers Centre with a range of stallholders offering a variety of seasonal wares, foods, and gifts.

There was a Rotary Club of Wellington stall which raised funds with a tombola and also offered people an opportunity to make Christmas presents and tree decorations, Santa met many children before he went on to attend the town centre celebrations later in the day, and many local crafters selling their goods.