MALMESBURY started the festive season with a bang, as hundreds of people took to the streets for the annual late night Christmas shopping event.

Father Christmas made an appearance in the market town on Friday evening and encouraged visitors to make the best of the market stalls manned by charities, organisations and traders, which stayed open specifically for the event.

"In true Malmesbury tradition, both shops and stallholders turned out in force, as did the members of the public to support them," said Mayor Coun Wayne Jones.

"The evening was well presented by the Town Team and the town council and in the last couple of years they have been playing around with the design of it but it did not feel any smaller than previous years. I would suggest that there were more traders this year. There was a superb atmosphere during the evening and everyone was so supportive of it."

It was the first time Phillip Kingsbury, who creates intricate lino prints for The Wooden Spoon Press, attended the event as a stallholder and he said it will not be the last.

Speaking after the event, he said: "We had such a lovely evening. We saw lots of people, all very jolly and Christmassy. It was a real joy to show my work in my home town.

"It was the first time I have had a market stall at late night shopping and the atmosphere was really fun. I particularly enjoyed the live jazz music outside the bank. I will absolutely be returning next year."