Daleks at Harleston’s Christmas lights switch-on event

Daleks will be roaming the streets of Harleston when the town is lit up for Christmas on Friday, December 7, bringing fun and mischief to the evening's festivities.

Father Christmas will also be making an appearance at the town's Christmas lights switch-on event, which starts in the Market Place at 6pm, with radio presenter David Hoffman as master of ceremonies.

Children from Harleston Primary School will kick off the evening with musical entertainment at 6pm, then the lights will be switched on at 6.30pm by pupil Ella Devereux, seven, who won the competition to design the front cover of the event programme.

Youngsters from Archbishop Sancroft High School will take to the stage at 6.40pm with performances by the school band and Glee Club, followed by an auction at 7.10pm and, from about 7.30pm. Harleston Players will be singing around the town to help spread the festive spirit.

Mister Fied will also be in town, entertaining the children with balloon modelling and magic, along with a children's funfair in the Cardinal's Hat car park, hot chestnuts, candy floss and stalls in the Thoroughfare, and many of the shops will be open for late-night Christmas shopping.

There will also be a raffle for prizes donated by local shops, with tickets on sale outside the Swan hotel during the day and drawn after the auction in the evening.

Drivers and residents take note: roads leading into the Market Place will be closed from 5.30pm to 8pm on Friday.

This is the first year the event has been run by a new team of volunteers since responsibility and funds for the Christmas lights were handed over to the town council by previous committee chairman Fiona Smith. She felt it was time to pass on the baton after being involved in running, and fundraising for, the lights and switch-on event for the last five years.