Bognor town centre goes festive for big lights switch-on

Snow White brought seasonal sparkle to Bognor Regis when she turned on its Christmas lights.

The fairytale character, portrayed by Jessica Negus, brought the blue and white illuminations to life above the town centre.

The displays of stars and snowflakes flashed and blazed away into the cloudy and raining night sky to the delight of a crowd of about 500 spectators.

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Snow White was joined at the ceremony by her fellow Alexandra Theatre panto star Scott Wright and Bognor's town mayor Cllr Jennifer Gillibrand.

Cllr Greg Burt, the town council's Christmas lights sub-committee chairman, said the lights were more essential than ever.

"I think that these lights are very good for a town the size of Bognor and they are a vital part of Christmas.

"At a time like this, with the credit crunch, it is very important we keep the town centre as vibrant as possible," he explained.

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"This gets people to come into the area and support the shops because, without them, we wouldn't have a town

centre."

The council will have spent about 10,000 on the displays by the time they are switched off on January 6.

The main improvement this year has been the installation of three strands of white bulbs in Station Road, which was without any special lighting for 2007, to join the displays along High Street and London Road precinct which have been renewed in the past two years. The switch-on from a podium in the High Street in front of The Arcade last Saturday afternoon followed a day of entertainment arranged by the town council to bring Christmas cheer to the retailing area.

First to entertain the crowds was the Michael Ayres School choir. Next came the Salvation Army Band followed by the Littlehampton School Steel Band.

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The performances continued with the Revusicals and the Art of Dance and Fitness choir, who also sang carols in the minutes before the switch-on.

Entertainers from Butlins provided walk-about fun for shoppers. This year's switch-on featured a first with an illuminated lantern procession to add a special touch to the occasion. The parade was headed by a 5ft internally lit angel of tissue paper carried by mums Sarah Holland and Ruth Webb.

Rose Green resident Mrs Holland said: "I felt honoured to represent God in this way. I thought of the procession as bringing God's light to Bognor. We were fortunate the weather was not wet at the time for carrying the angel, though we couldn't get too close to any objects or people."

The angel was created by community artists Su Cloud, from Rose Green, and Pagham's Rosie Morgan, as part of their mission to widen participation in the arts. They held a lantern-making workshop the previous Saturday.

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Some 14 stars were made at the workshop from tissue paper and willow branches by children such as Mrs Holland's daughters '“ Lydia Holland (ten today) and Rebekah Holland (12) '“ and Mrs Webb's children, Sarah Webb (ten) and Anna Webb (eight), from Pagham.

Rebekah said: "I enjoyed the workshop and it was good to see my star lit up."

The size of the procession was boosted into three figures by choir members for the route from the theatre along Bedford Street and down the London Road precinct to The Arcade.

Their arrival was followed by the switch-on by South Bersted school pupil George Budge (six) and Emilie Pigden (six), of Rose Green Infant School, of their light displays of a Christmas tree and a bell on the Bon Marche and Abbey buildings on the corner of the precinct and High Street.

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Santa's grotto in the theatre, along with a craft fair and face painting, provided further attractions.

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