IT IS ONLY March, but Christmas is already on the mind in Wellington.
Councillors met on Monday night to discuss the date for the official town Christmas lights switch-on event, an issue that caused confusion in the town last year.
Over the festive period last year, the town saw three different “switch-on” events, one for the town, one at the Emporium Somerset and one for the Wellington Independent Traders group. Cllr Bob Bowrah, mayor of Wellington, urged councillors to strive for unity this year, as he said he was very disappointed with last year’s events.
Last year, the official town event and the traders’ event fell on two separate dates. The traders opted for a date in November in order to maximise retail opportunities, but the council wanted the event in December in order to keep the “traditional” Christmas feeling.
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Cllr James Hunt suggested the idea of a Christmas festival.
He said: “Starting Christmas in the middle of November horrifies me. Our Christmas light switch-on is not like a big city, it is very seasonal.
“November is way too early, but the traders could launch a type of Christmas festival and we could add to the festivities.”
A compromise was proposed by the town clerk, who suggested moving the date forward one week to the last week in November.
Some councillors disagreed, citing with this as moving the event from December would take away from the religious aspects of the season.
Cllr Vivienne Stock-Williams said: “Advent is on Sunday, December 3, so it makes sense to have the event on December 2. The children start learning about Christmas and they help switch on the lights. The event is about more than just shopping. We have the peace garden with real plants, they wouldn’t last if we moved it to November. It is there for people to go to reflect on the real reason of the Christmas season.”
The councillors voted to keep the date in December.
The Independent Traders in Wellington who took part in the event last year.
Nancy Powell-Brace, from Odette’s Tearoom, said it isn’t the intention of the group to be divisive.
She said: “It is regretful that none of us could be at the meeting. Last year we felt like we weren’t listened to, it is sad because Wellington is a town that is known for its independent shops.”
“Whether or not we decide to go earlier will be decided at our next meeting, we are already planning our next event.”
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