Exclusive by Alan Quick

THERE are exciting plans to bring a land train to Crediton to give people rides up and down Crediton High Street as part of Christmas in Crediton 2016.

The Christmas in Crediton celebrations will take place on Saturday, November 26.

The Crediton Town Council Christmas in Crediton committee Light Switch-On event will take place from 4pm to 8pm, with the High Street and other roads being closed from 4pm to 6pm.

The theme for the parade and, also the decorated shop window competition (run by the “Crediton Courier”) will be “Santa’s Toy Shop”.

Crediton High Street will be closed to all traffic except for the land train from 4pm to 6pm, with parking suspended from 2pm to 6pm.

This would enable entertainment to take place in the High Street from 4pm to 5.30pm, hopefully including morris dancers and other dance groups.

Everyone will be encouraged to dress up for the occasion and there will be the usual Children’s Fancy Dress competition, with children asked to dress up to fit the theme, such as toys, elves, tin soldiers, fairies, reindeer, in Santa outfits or other costumes.

The Fancy Dress competition will take place at 4.45pm at Crediton Congregational Church.

FANCY DRESS

Groups and individuals, and the Fancy Dress competition competitors, will be invited to gather at St Lawrence Green for the parade from 5.15pm, which is expected to leave the Green at 5.30pm for arrival at the Town Square and Light Switch-On ceremony at about 6pm.

There will be live music in the Square after the 6pm Light Switch-On until 8pm.

Father Christmas will make an appearance.

There will be a suspension of parking around the Town Square from 12 noon to 8pm and the roads around the Square will be closed from 4pm to 8pm.

Lanterns and willow sculptures will hopefully be included in the parade and last year many of the town flags were also carried.

The parade will also include toy soldiers (Cubs and Scouts), town flags, two bands, Great Western Morris, Charles Academy of Dance and more.

The group is also seeking circus acts and fire eaters to perform and anyone who is able to do this is asked to contact the Town Clerk, Mrs Clare Dalley on 01363 773717 or email: [email protected] .

The public will be encouraged to shop locally and visit the town’s traders and business owners when some stay open late for that afternoon and evening.

TREES AND DECORATIONS

The group’s plan is for more Christmas decorations to light up the town over the Christmas period as well as placing 100 Christmas trees on business and shop fronts of those businesses which support the Christmas in Crediton initiative.

Shops and businesses in the town are soon to be asked to donate to help fund Christmas in Crediton.

Crediton Town Councillor, Liz Brookes-Hocking, chairman of the Christmas in Crediton committee, thanked all those involved in last year’s Light Switch-On evening and in helping to brighten up the town with lit Christmas trees from building fronts and cross-street decorations.

Previously she said: "Thank you so much to everyone that took part in last year’s Fairy Tale Christmas in Crediton Parade and Lights Switch-On.

"It was a brilliant community event with so many different people pulling together to make it happen.

"Also, thank you to everyone involved in the planning of the event, for your commitment to the project, for coming up with the goods and playing your part. We could not have achieved such a complex event without all of this.”

The celebrations are sponsored and supported, to-date, by Crediton Chamber of Commerce, Crediton Dairy, Create Storage, Hedgerow Print and Crediton Town Council.

The land train is being brought from Exmouth for the event and it is expected that there will be a small charge for those who wish to take a trip up and down Crediton High Street.