Festive fun in town centre tonight

8:50am Friday 21st November 2008

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TONIGHT officially marks the start of Christmas in Malvern with celebrations in the town centre and the official lights switch-on.

The festive fun starts at 3.45pm and includes a Father Christmas procession with his reindeer, the Christmas lights switch-on at 6pm, a sing-a-long with the Downs School choir, carols with Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Charlie Green, demonstrations by Malvern Rugby Club, and music by folk band Flatworld.

The event, at Belle Vue Island, will also include carol singing and puppet shows in the Priory Church, a teenagers’ party at Malvern Youth Centre, charity stands in the Lyttleton Rooms, late-night shopping, Perfect Circle Youth Theatre in Church Street and an arts and crafts market in Abbey Road.

An artificial snow machine will shower the streets with ‘snowflakes’.

Thousands are expected to turn out for the night.

BBC TV favourite Clive Mantle, who played Mike Barratt in the hospital dramas Casualty and Holby City, will turn on the lights.

He is performing in the Malvern Theatres pantomime Aladdin.

Chairman of the celebrations steering group Chris Marks said: “It is going to be fantastic. There are lots of different things for different people. The lantern parade will be amazing with about 500 children with lanterns for the main parade. It is going to be a really lovely kick-start to Christmas.”

* Also as part of the celebrations, children will again be able to post their letters to Father Christmas at the Malvern Tourist Information Centre.

The Victorian post box will be found inside the TIC at the top of Church Street in the town centre.

Children will be able to post their letters with a special £1 stamp and will receive a personal reply and a small gift directly from the North Pole.

Proceeds from the event will go towards Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The box was opened on Monday and will accept letters until Wednesday, December 17.