This year there will be plenty of festive fun to be had in Liskeard in the run up to Christmas and the town will again look fantastic thanks to the dedication and hard work of a team of volunteers.

The official turning on of the Christmas lights will take place on the Parade on Saturday, December 3 at 7pm. Father Christmas will be there, along with Liskeard Radio and festive live music. The lights will be turned on by Ukrainian refugees and all the local Ukrainian refugees are being invited to the event.

New for this year, as part of the decoration of the town for Christmas, is an illuminated advent calendar that will be displayed in shop windows and venues around town. The images will be inspired by festive words in English and Cornish and are being produced by schools and community groups. Just like other advent calendars, it will have twenty four images, which will be on display throughout December.

The lights and Christmas trees around town are always organised and put up by a dedicated group of volunteers. In recent years this group has become smaller and it was hard hit by the death of John Lennon, who was a driving force in Lights Up. Following an appeal for more volunteers, a new committee has been formed with Sue Shand as Chair and new Town Councillor David Braithwaite as Vice-Chair. The group is now hard at work putting up the decorations and will also be looking at longer-term planning from early next year.

Mayor of Liskeard, Simon Cassidy, said: “Lights Up is an important part of Christmas in Liskeard. We all have a part to play in making it happen and I’d like to thank everyone who is giving their time, determination and imagination to it this year. Do join in however you can.”

Rachel Brooks, the Town Councillor who chairs the Christmas planning group, said: “It’s brilliant to have local organisations and volunteers coming together to cheer up Liskeard this Christmas. The Town Council is working with the Lights Up group, local shopkeepers, the Liskerrett Centre, schools, churches, Liskeard Radio, the Lions, the Scouts, local musical groups and others to provide free festive entertainment and events.”

Sue Shand, Chair of Lights Up added: “The Lights Up night is the start of the Christmas season for us. We hope you will enjoy this year’s event as we light the Christmas tree. There will be music, lights, people, and of course the Town lit up for the festive season.”

There will be no lantern parade this year, however there will be opportunities for small lanterns to be brought along to the parade.