FOUR local choirs will take turns to serenade shoppers in Barnard Castle during a pop up Christmas weekend as part of the town’s annual festive lights switch-on.
To get the festive season off to a bang, the Making Barney Brighter Together (MBBT) group has planned a weekend of activities to coincide with the Christmas lights switch-on to get everyone into the spirit.
Kick-starting the festivities will be a parade featuring at least 50 handmade lanterns prior to the switch-on at Scar Top on Friday, November 29.
The willow framed lanterns will depict iconic Teesdale buildings and are being made as part of a series of four workshops organised by the MBBT group.
The first two workshops got off to a good start at the Guide HQ, in Barnard Castle, earlier this month.
Two further lantern making workshops are to take place at The Hub, in Shaw Bank, on November 17. The workshops are free to attend and anyone wishing to pop along and have go is welcome to attend.
Cllr Ian Kirkbride will be choreographing the parade and is looking for volunteers for the parade.
“The plan is to have three lines of lanterns all converging at the performance area outside Woodleigh.
“My idea is to have one line coming up past the castle gates, another from the mini-golf course and another possibly from Flatts Woods. These are darker areas and that’s important so everyone watching will be able to get a good view of the lanterns.”
Other plans for the festive weekend include a doggy Christmas pageant.
Dog owners will be encouraged to enter their pooches in a photographic competition which will be held at The Witham, on Saturday, November 30.
Local photographer David Williams will be on hand to snap the four legged friends.
The digital photographs will then be uploaded to a webpage where members of the public will be asked to vote for their favourite.
The winning pooch will be awarded a doggy-related prize.
Also on Saturday, part of the cobbles in Horsemarket will be set aside for stalls and food sellers with a global Christmas theme.
All the while, four local choirs will serenade shoppers with renditions of various Christmas Carols.
Cllr Kirkbride added: “We have already got four choirs who agreed to take part.
“Each choir will take half hour slots and so it should be interesting to hear their renditions of the different Christmas tunes.”
Then on Sunday, December 1, a history heritage walk has been arranged.
The guided walk will start at St Mary’s Parish Hall and will take in a number of the better and lesser known sites around Barnard Castle before finishing at the Pittuck mural in the parish hall where there will be mulled wine and mince pies.
