Watch as Alnwick boy turns on town's Christmas lights at secret switch-on

Despite Covid restrictions, the Christmas lights comittee have been working hard to ensure that there was a display of lights to help celebrate the festive season.

Three-year-old James Abercrombie, whose dad, Richard, is a member of the lights committee, had the honour of flicking the switch.

To his amazement, Father Christmas then popped in to the market place to thank all the hard-working volunteers for bringing some festive sparkle to us all.

The market place has been fully decorated with a tree donated by Northumberland Estates taking centre stage.

In addition, the east facing side of Bondgate Tower has been decorated as normal and the Welcome to Alnwick sign raised beside The Plough.

However, coronavirus meant the team could not refurbish or erect the much loved 118 mounted displays round town or the long cables of Christmas bulbs on top of shops.

Cllr Gordon Castle, chairman of the Alnwick Christmas lights committee, said: “This is the most different year I’ve ever experienced because Covid has got in the way of a lot of things but we’ve still had a switch-on even though it was much reduced on former years.

"We couldn’t hold an event, we couldn’t advertise it… but it’s worked well.

"Normally we would have had up to 2,000 people in the market place with lots of entertainment and activities. This year we have got nothing but a switch-on but there other things coming.

"Thanks to The Alnwick Garden we’re going to have laser displays coming into the town which will be well worth seeing and the Chamber of Trade is doing other things to compensate for things that we just can’t do this year and many shops are going to do window displays with a Victorian Christmas theme.”

He thanked sponsors including Alnwick Town Council and Northumberland Estates. Local businesses had not been asked to contribute this year because of their difficult circumstances.

“The team are all volunteers, every one of them unpaid, which shows what a great town Alnwick is,” said Cllr Castle. “Where else would you find a greater sense of identity and commitment from volunteers?”

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