STEP INTO CHRISTMAS
ASHBOURNE’S Christmas celebrations begin on Saturday when the lights are lit – and the new partnership behind the series of festive events says it looks set to be the best season yet.
Ashbourne Arts, Ashbourne Churches Together, Ashbourne Town Council and Ashbourne Traders Group have been working for a year on a rejuvenated calendar of events, aimed at whipping up some Christmas spirit and giving the community a boost.
The lights will be officially switched on by the winners of a children’s colouring competition at 5.30pm on Saturday – the highlight of a day of Christmas fun.
Ashbourne Town Hall will be open from 10am, hosting a festive craft fair in the main hall and, from 2.30pm, mayor Sue Bull will host a reception with free tea, coffee and mince pies in the ballroom upstairs.
Father Christmas will be calling into the Market Place with his reindeer and the atmosphere will be lifted by Christmas music by Ashbourne Town Band.
The main event this year will be the traditional Late Night Shopping evening on Friday, December 7, and the committee
A spokesman for Ashbourne Town Council said: “The town has a long history of enjoyable events over the Christmas season. Many people have worked hard to organise these events and last year saw the formation of the Christmas Committee to ensure everything ran smoothly.
“Representatives from various town organisations formed a new and equal partnership in planning and organising the festive season events. The group is building on last year to ensure that the event is a success, meeting monthly and bringing different skills and fresh ideas to the table.
“There is a lot of behind the scenes work that the public tend not to see and these are the skills Ashbourne Town Council can bring to the group – such as applying for use of the Market Place, obtaining temporary events notice to allow for playing of amplified music, road closures, first-aid, waste management and signage. The Town Council invites local charities to attend the event and have a stall to promote and raise funds.
The council also submits a blanket application to Derbyshire Dales District Council for a Street Trading Licence to allow this to take place.”
One of the highlights of Late Night Shopping is set for a return this year, with Ashbourne Arts busy working on a dazzling lantern procession – which will mark an official start to the festivities on the night.
Ashbourne Churches Together has been supporting the procession and will invite everyone to join them as they gather in the Market Place at the end of the procession.
Meanwhile the Ashbourne Traders Group is encouraging all retailers to stay open for late night shopping to offer visitors maximum opportunity to visit the shops.
A spokesman for the group said: “We are pleased to have gathered a group of traders passionate about working together and boosting our town’s opportunities to benefit us all.
“We now have regular meetings that any tradesperson is welcome to join, the more the merrier. Many people over the years have put in a huge amount of hard work to help arrange Christmas celebrations.
“This year it has been a pleasure to work with the Town Council, Churches Together and Ashbourne Arts and play an active part in helping to organise the activities we all love. Late Night Shopping is not just about retailers trying to make extra money – it is about us embracing the community spirit and giving the people of our town a festive night to enjoy everything we have to offer.
“We are hoping that, as much as possible, people will choose to buy their Christmas presents from local independent businesses rather than the big superstores, as by doing this your money will go directly into the local economy.
“Ashbourne is a town full of outstanding independent shops offering a whole range of desirable items for Christmas, we look forward to welcoming you over the festive season.”