Disaster was averted when a mischievous elf threatened to ruin Campbeltown’s annual Christmas lights switch-on.
Town residents and visitors turned out in their hundreds last Friday evening, lining the roadside the entire way from Hazelburn Business Park to Main Street as “the best parade in years” made its way to the town centre.
The Campbeltown Christmas Lights group was “blown away” by the effort and enthusiasm shown by all parade participants, including: Kintyre Schools Pipe Band; Rainbows; Cubs; Brownies; Meadows Under Fives; Kintyre Care Home; Campbeltown and District Juvenile Football Association; Dunaverty Golf Club juniors; RNLI Campbeltown; HM Coastguard; McFadyens Contractors; Highlands and Islands Airports Fire Service; Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; Police Scotland; Scottish Ambulance Service; Campbeltown Young Farmers; Campbeltown Co-op; P McKerral and Co; Kintyre Hire; and Santa himself.
The lights group attributes the bumper number of floats to a shout-out from Campbeltown RNLI Lifeboat Station to other groups and businesses, encouraging them to join the fun.
After the parade, Brooke Davies, a S1 pupil at Campbeltown Grammar School, was all ready and primed to switch on the lights when it was discovered that the plunger required to do the honours was missing – at this point, the crowd spotted the notoriously badly behaved Elf on the Shelf running up and down Main Street with it.
Help was on the way, however, in the form of the famous crime-solving Paw Patrol team of dogs who rescued the plunger from the elf. This allowed Brooke to push the button after an exciting 10-second countdown, much to the delight of the amassed crowd.
The MCs for the evening were Callum Scott and Douglas Kenny who kept things running smoothly and also announced The Treehouse as the winner of the lights group’s annual shop window display competition, with its ‘night before Christmas’ display.
As the crowds dissipated, lots of people popped into the shops that stayed open late, many offering discounts and refreshments, while the youngsters headed into Campbeltown Town Hall where Santa’s grotto had been set up.
The Campbeltown Christmas Lights Group thanked an extensive list of people whose efforts combine each year to ensure Campbeltown is illuminated in festive sparkle, something that costs in the region of £5,000 annually.
This includes many generous members of the community who have organised concerts, quizzes and other fundraisers to boost funds for the committee, which also received support from the West Kintyre and Campbeltown Community Windfarm Trusts this year.
The lights committee members told the Courier they could not have asked for the night to have gone any better, with the chilly, dry weather the “cherry on the cake”.
“We agree that it’s the best it has been in years!” said a spokesperson. “It’s the community that made sure of that, for sure.
“What a parade – the best we have had in years… the crowd were amazing; the sheer amount of people turning up makes all our efforts worthwhile.
“Watching all the kids’ faces and hearing their excitement makes every ounce of stress melt away.”
To read the lights group’s full thank you and a live-stream of the switch-on, visit its Campbeltown Christmas Lights Facebook page.
The festive fun continued on Sunday, at the town’s annual Explore Campbeltown Christmas Market, which packed Springbank Distillery’s malt barns with stallholders, caterers, browsers and shoppers.
There was no rest for Santa who made another appearance at the market, keen to meet all the youngsters whose excitement for Christmas is building with every festive event they attend!
