Picture Gallery: Battle Christmas Procession

Although it rained steadily for most of the day, there was no dampening of the festive spirit when Father Christmas came to Battle last Saturday (November 24). Umbrellas were a necessary addition to Santa’s parade, but it was still a vibrant, lively spectacle with the brightly coloured clown costumes of the Langton Loons and the seasonal music of the Kingfisher Band.

The sleigh, purchased as a humble pony cart by the Battle Chamber of Commerce and beautifully customised for Santa’s use by Alan Hunting (of Alan Hunting Associates in Mount Street), was accompanied by reindeers, snowmen and Shetland ponies as it progressed down the High Street to the Memorial Hall.The 200-plus children who visited Santa in his grotto enjoyed an afternoon packed with treats and excitement, culminating at 5pm when Santa came out again to switch on the Christmas lights.

The roundabouts on the Abbey Green came to a halt, the music stopped and a sizeable crowd joined in the countdown to the moment when the traditional illuminations would shine again and signal the beginning of Battle’s 2012 yuletide season.

The magic was wrought, as ever, by a wave of Santa’s hand that was preceded by many days of work by the Chamber of Commerce volunteer lighting team.

To view the picture gallery, click on the MULTIMEDIA link to the right of this page.