Sid and Scrat, characters from the adventure animation film Ice Age, were in town yesterday to turn on the Christmas lights at the Willow Brook Centre.
Entertainment from Bradley Stoke Radio (BSR) set the scene in the Town Square, with Santa’s elves on hand to distribute presents.
The film characters appeared at intervals during the afternoon and they received a massive cheer from their many young fans when they returned at 6pm to witness the lights switch-on.
A new feature this year is the presence of a Rotary Club Wishing Well within the animated Christmas display opposite the Santander bank agency branch in the shopping mall.
From now until Christmas, visitors to the Centre will be able to make a donation while making a wish, with all proceeds going to local youth charities and the MS Therapy Centre charity in Bradley Stoke.
Roger Worth from The Rotary Club of Bristol Aztec said:
“We would like to thank the Willow Brook Centre very much for sponsoring our Wishing Well. We’re sure it will be a great success as it’s such a popular location for Bradley Stoke residents and they are very supportive of local charities.”
More photos from The Journal on PicasaWeb and Facebook.
See also: Video of the lights switch-on countdown on YouTube.
Since I moved to Bradley Stoke I have always been impressed by the high level of “Community Spirit” and general pride in the town and its activities.
It was good to see the way many members of the community, shopkeepers and others helped to support the Willow Brook Centre’s Illumination Ceremony on Thursday.
Apart from the characters mentioned above there was Lucy and her team at Greggs the Bakers, raising funds for ‘Children in Need’ including a Charity Concert in Bath on Saturday 17 November. Further details can be found at their shop.
The Stoke Singers gave the audience a preview of their concert at Christ the King Church on the 15 December (further details on their website).
Mark and the crew at the Harvester kept the volunteers warm with refreshing hot drinks, whilst the volunteers from the Greyhound & Lurchers Rescue Group concentrated on fundraising via the various Quizzes.
I know that everyone enjoyed themselves, especially the young lady who won the honour of switching on the Lights at Six PM.
Thank you everybody who came along that day and made it a real community event, especially the Management team at Willow Brook Centre.
Video now online:
Christmas lights switch-on countdown (YouTube)