The new format of Plympton’s Christmas lights switch on and associated fayre on Sunday November 26 seems to have gone down a storm with most of those attending.
Organising volunteers at Plym Chamber who put on the event must have awoken with a bit of a sinking feeling in the morning when they saw the rather wet weather and wondered if this was going to thwart the many months of planning which had gone into the day.
These worries soon faded, however, as families from Plympton and beyond donned their wet weather clothing and turned out in numbers to visit the many street stalls and open shops, watched and listened to a variety of entertainment acts on two stages and had a go at the games on offer. Plympton Stannator Andy Cooper and Youth Ambassador Oliver Chard were on hand to formally open the proceedings at midday.
For those reluctant to spend much time outside in the wet, there was the indoor comfort of the nearby Rees Centre Wellbeing Hub where more than 100 families came in to meet Santa, take part in crafting activities, or relax in the quiet movie space.
This year the lights switch-on and fayre moved from its long-established Monday night to a Sunday daytime, with stalls and entertainment from midday to 6pm. The Co-op car park in Ridgeway was used to host a games area in the small car park with stalls set out in a market type arrangement in the larger car park.
By around 4.15pm the rain finally stopped and this was the encouragement needed for even bigger crowds to arrive for the 5.15pm lights switch on by Plymouth Raiders and Pudsey Bear and this also offered a late boost in sales for traders.
Initial post event feedback from the majority of those attending has been positive about the new day and format with comments such as ‘we preferred the Sunday to the Monday, more relaxing and whole family could come’, ‘I found this format much better’ and ‘I liked this evening better than last year, much better stalls.’
A range of pictures and videos from the day can be found on the Plympton Podcast Facebook page and also on the #LightUpPlympton one.
(Story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
