Cheltenham is expected to shine bright tonight as a 6pm Christmas lights switch-on event is has been announced, encouraging neighbours to take part.
This comes after countless Christmas switch-on events have been cancelled this year due to Coronavirus lockdown rules and social-distancing being enforced by the government and Cheltenham’s local authorities.
Cheltenham Borough Council have announced the event online, saying that switching the lights on early will “bring a bit of sparkle and happiness into our lives.” They asked for people to put up their decorations and turn the lights on together as they stream the event online.
The mayor of Cheltenham will also be choosing a winner for the most impressive house, and an award for the best- lit street. The winners will be announced on the Cheltenham Borough Council twitter page next week.
The leader of the Cheltenham Liberal Democrats sent out a supportive tweet for the occasion, dressed as Father Christmas. Max Wilkinson explains “Christmas is inevitably going to be different this year” and suggests people should “stay home” this year. He says the lights will lift Christmas spirits and bring people together.
Flo Clucas, the cabinet member for healthy lifestyles at Cheltenham Borough Council said “it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it could be just (…) a small light in the window, or if you want to decorate your home, that would be brilliant!”
She goes on to explain the positive effect it could have on the local community, “I think children will love it, I think older people love it, I love it when I’m going around Cheltenham and I think it will be a lovely thing to do.”
If you want to take part, the event will be streamed on Cheltenham Borough Council’s official Twitter page and lights will turn on at 6pm. Any photos or videos you wish to post online can be shared with the #CheltChristmasMagic hashtag.
