Christmas 2024
Our Christmas Market & Lights Switch On was a fantastic day of fun for the whole family. Thousands of people joined us throughout the day and for the switch on itself at 6pm, it was amazing to see so many people from Wellington and its surrounding villages coming out to support local traders and talent.
We had a range of stallholders from 10am and a great list of entertainment on the main stage from 12pm. Our entertainment was skilfully compered by our Town Crier Andrew Norris and Former BBC Television Correspondent and Wellington native Clinton Rogers! Our comperes shared Christmas facts and jokes throughout the day and asked the audience to join in too.
Even Santa Claus himself visited the town in a grotto in The Nook & Cranny from 10-1 and in the Wellington Town Council gazebo grotto from 2-5:45. Lots of children visited the jolly old man and it was great to see so many smiling faces!
Miss Ivy Belle was our headline act and she stunned us with her beautiful renditions of classic Christmas songs from the 40s and 50s. After her set, we were pleased to hear a Christmas message from Churches Together which was then followed by a short speech from the Mayor of Wellington and the unveiling of the winning artwork for the Christmas Card Design Competition. The winner was Luna-Alora, age 6, who very bravely came up onstage by herself to accept her prizes of a dozen blank cards with her design and a starter set of paintbrushes to inspire her future masterpieces.
Following the unveiling of the winning Christmas Card design, Mayor Janet Lloyd invited Reece and Izzy from St John’s Primary School onstage to help her turn on the Christmas lights. The only problem is that they had to wait until exactly 6pm to press the button! Fortunately we had the effervescent Clinton Rogers onstage to help the time move faster as he led the crowd in a singalong of White Christmas. Once the clock approached 6pm the countdown begun and BAM! Christmas arrived as soon as that button was pressed!
We would like to extend thanks to everyone who was involved in making this event happen from our stallholders and entertainers, to our volunteers, and to everyone who came and supported the event on the day. We hope that you had a good time and enjoy the lights in the town centre over the next few weeks.
Photo by Alain Lockyer
Mayor Janet Lloyd poses with Christmas Comperes Town Crier Andrew Norris an Former BBC Television Correspondent Clinton Rogers.
Photo by Alain Lockyer
Mayor Janet Lloyd and Clinton Rogers unveil Luna-Alora’s winning Christmas Card design.
Photo by Alain Lockyer
Mayor Janet Lloyd and Clinton Rogers pose with Reece and Izzy from St John’s Primary School who switched on the Christmas Lights.
Christmas Card Design Competition
In 2024 we decided to invite local children aged 12 and under to enter a competition to be in with the chance to have their artwork as the official design of the Mayor of Wellington’s Christmas card. Every year the Mayor sends over 100 cards to other Mayors in Somerset and important people in Wellington and beyond.
We had over 100 entries and the Mayor Mrs Janet Lloyd and her Consort Mr Ian Lloyd had their work cut out in choosing a winner! In the end they chose six year old Luna-Alora’s fabulous design.
Five “Highly Commended” certificates were granted to other impressive entries. Many of the entries came from St John’s Primary School’s year 5 classes as they were encouraged to create an entry as part of their Civic Award, we would like to thank their teachers for helping facilitate this in school.
Congratulations to Luna-Alora for her hard work in putting this design together! We hope she continues on her artistic journey and enjoys the giant print of her design that we had made for the unveiling.
Mayor Mrs Janet Lloyd and her Consort Mr Ian Lloyd had a lovely time judging all the entries but in the end decided that Luna-Alora’s was a stand out winner!
Shop Window Competition
Judging is currently taking place for the 2024 Christmas Shop Window Competition and the winner and runners up will be announced in the week commencing 9th December.
Our judges this year are the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Wellington joined by guest judges Sue Adams and Pamela Clare from Wellington Basins Volunteer Group. It’s a tough competition this year and the winner will have the honour of holding the perpetual shield in their shop for one year. They will be the final winners listed on the shield which after one year will have a permanent home in the Wellington Town Council offices.
Previous winners of the competition listed on the shield are:
H.T. Perry & Son – 2009
Cheese and Wine Shop – 2010
Kamyko – 2015
Odette’s – 2016
Pepperpot – 2017
Hair by Davinia – 2018
Pepperpot – 2019
Pepperpot – 2021
Bloomin Lovely Flower Shop – 2022
A House of Cake – 2023
