THE countdown to Christmas has begun in Chippenham, after an all-day Winter Wonderland event and an evening extravaganza of music, dance and merriment that culminated in the lights switch-on.

Britain’s Got Talent star Lifford Shillingford sang for a crowd that filled Market Place and down into High Street, with a huge screen projecting the concert for all to see.

His final song was a rendition of Band Aid’s 1984 hit Do They Know It’s Christmas, inviting the crowd to join in with him in the singing.

This year Chippenham’s Winter Wonderland, organised by Chippenham Town Council and Chippenham Connected, and sponsored by John Williams Heating Services, went on all day, with an artisan and food market, a giant snow globe at Hathaway Retail Park, Cinderella and her carriage in Borough Parade and the Grinch taking up residence in Emery Gate, where Santa also received visitors in his Grotto.

Families also enjoyed festive story telling, face painting, community carols and crafts in the Neeld before the evening entertainments got underway on the Market Place stage. The line-up included the Clogettes, Dancing Academy and Xpression Street Dance, and Santa abseiled down the Angel Hotel to join Lifford, BBC Wiltshire’s Ben Prater, Chippenham Bid’s Kathryn Crosweller, Debbie and John Williams and the Mayor and Mayoress Couns Andy and Nina Phillips for the countdown and lights-on.

The Mayor of Chippenham, Coun Andy Phillips said: “What a great fun evening the Christmas Lights switch on was, certainly one of the best I can remember for some time. The town centre was absolutely packed, and a huge cheer greeted the moment all of us on stage together pressed the button that switched the lights on turning it into an area of sparkling colour."

The promised fireworks had to be postponed because of the weather conditions.

Kathryn Crosweller, manager at Chippenham Connected, said, “We start planning really early for this event and we’re thrilled to be bringing the town more and more activity each year. Chippenham’s USP has become its varied programme of high-quality events and it’s great to see that more and more people are coming along.

"Footfall was up by 38 per cent on the previous Saturday and up 10 per cent on the 2017 Christmas light switch-on event in Chippenham, with some businesses saying that it was the single busiest day they have ever seen in Chippenham!”