LEDBURY'S Christmas Lights switch-on will be a real community event this year, in keeping with the true spirit of the season, according to Cllr Annette Crowe, chairman of the town's Christmas Lights Committee.

Cllr Crowe, herself a town centre retailer, says the Traders' Association has been working with the council to make it an event to remember, and traders have even shelled out for the big town centre Christmas tree.

The tree was set to be installed by the Market House on Thursday (November 16).

But neither the lights on the tree nor the strings of lights on the Market House, and in Ledbury town centre, will be switched on until the actual day of the Christmas Lights celebration, Saturday, November 25.

Cllr Crowe said: "The Traders' Association have paid for a tree. Countrywide have sponsored a tree for the past few years, but this year the traders have paid for it. Wellworth It! has helped to provide presents for Santa's Grotto - fantastic presents. Each child will come out with a big parcel.

"A total of 200 presents have already been wrapped by volunteers. It's a proper volunteer Christmas - and in the true spirit of Christmas. We can never compete with our Christmas Lights with Hereford and Worcester; but what we do, we do for the children of Ledbury."

Father Christmas will arrive by Weston’s dray, to the cheers of young and old alike, at 1pm on the day. His stopping point will be the Market House, where he will hand out sweets.

Santa will have his grotto in the panelled room of Ledbury town council offices, and here he will hand out the presents to scores of wide-eyed youngsters. The entrance will be through the British Legion Club in Church Street. Church Street which will be closed for the event.

Entertainment in the town centre will include performances by Ledbury Community Brass Band and Ledbury Amateur Dramatics Society.

The lights will be switched on at 5.30pm, at the Market House, and shortly afterwards there will be a children’s candlelit procession to the parish church, where there will be a Nativity service.

But this will not be the only festive celebration in the town centre this year.

On December 2, there will be a road closure in New Street from 1pm to 4pm, for the Tudor Christmas Festival.

This will include jesters and jugglers and lute players, and Andy Ward, the landlord of the Talbot Hotel, will be King Henry VIII for the day.

There will be Tudor wreath making and food on offer, made from genuine Tudor recipes.