Santa swaps sleigh for rocket at Ellesmere Winter Festival

Hundreds of people turned out to welcome Santa as he arrived by narrow-boat at the canal wharf-head, then climbed into his specially-designed spacecraft and joined a spectacular lantern parade organised by the local Fizzgigs arts group.

A spokesperson for the town council described the event as “amazing”.

OTHER NEWS:

• Recognise any familiar faces from Oswestry and border life from 1975?
• Renowned livestock farm goes up for sale with £1.8 million price tag
• Knockin Cricket Club Presidents' Day raises £1k for Oswestry charity

They added: “Thank you to everyone involved in making the Christmas Winter festival so special and successful and to all who came along to enjoy it.”

The rocket – complete with ‘antlers’ –was created by group member Peter Cartlidge and escorted through the town centre by dozens of children and adults who had previously taken part in two lantern-making workshops ahead of the festival.

Fizzgigs' lantern parade at the Ellesmere Winter Festival (Image: Juliet Shone)They included Ellesmere’s mayor, Councillor Anne Wignall, who had earlier led a minute’s silence in tribute to the four Shrewsbury teenage boys killed in a car crash in North Wales a few days earlier.

It was followed by the switching- on of the town’s Christmas lights and Rotary’s Tree of Light by fashion shop owner Ismay Evans, a long-serving member of Ellesmere’s Chamber of Commerce, which organised the festival in partnership with the town council and other community organisations.

Ellesmere Winter Festival 2023. (Image: Juliet Shone)Posting on Facebook, town councillor Geoff Elner, who also represents Ellesmere on Shropshire Council, said: “A really great start to Christmas.

“It gets better each year.”

Children from Ellesmere primary school and the Cellar Church led carol-singing, with more festive music provided by the Mere Brass ensemble.

The market hall and adjoining streets were lined with stalls selling a large variety of gifts, craft-wear, street food and local produce.

Many shops stayed open late to welcome customers and visitors were able to enjoy rides on a funfair carousel on the town’s main car park.

The lantern parade at Ellesmere Winter Festival. (Image: Juliet Shone)

A competition for the best window display was won by one of the Ellesmere’s newest businesses, the Quaintly British gift shop run by Julie Williams, with the long-established League of Friends’ charity shop as runner-up.