HUNDREDS braved the cold in Marlborough to watch the town’s mayor Cllr Mervyn Hall and BBC Wiltshire radio drive-time presenter James Thomas switch on the Christmas lights on Friday evening (22 November).

Mr Thomas counted the crowd down to the switch-on at 6.30pm as the crowds of onlookers packed the town’s High Street.

Cllr Hall and his mayoress, Catherine, took along four of their seven grandchildren, but only the elder two, Genevieve, 9, and Ted, 6, helped to switch on the lights. The other two, Jude, two months, and Sammy, 4, were part of the crowd.

Cllr Hall said: “I thought it went very well. It was a very successful event. We had a lot of people there and the High Street was packed.”

The big switch-on was the climax of an action-packed day of festivities, starting at 10am with a bustling Christmas Market which ran until 8pm.

Around 30 stallholders stocked everything from stocking fillers and gifts for families and their pets, to festive food, Christmas cocktails and mulled wine, cupcakes and handmade chocolates.

Handmade candles and cosmetics, hot chestnuts, face painting, locally- illustrated gifts, and silver jewellery were also on show and for sale.

A full programme of live local music from 5-8pm on the main stage kept the crowd entertained in the lead up to the lights being switched on.

It kicked off with the St John’s School Band followed by the Marlborough Academy of Dance; Marlborough Community Choir; the Tom Foolery Puppet Show; the Bluebelles, a local acapella choir, and two local groups The Wilding Band and Barrelhouse.

Street entertainment this year included The Christmas Nutkins – a family-friendly act involving two human sized red squirrels.

They walked around and interacted with people, scurrying about in people’s bags and generally charming the crowd.

The Rotary Club of Marlborough and District’s Santa’s Grotto was held in the Town Hall, with proceeds going to Wiltshire Air Ambulance and other charities supported by Rotary.

The Showmen’s Guild also ran some traditional small children’s funfair rides and stalls in the High Street to amuse and occupy the crowds.