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Albrighton Christmas Extravaganza proves a huge ‘festive’ hit

Hundreds of people descended on Albrighton last week to get their first taste of the festive spirit.

The village, famous for being home of the English rose, threw its biggest ever Christmas Extravaganza with Santa handing out presents, a fashion show taking place on the high street, the Military Wives Choir performing and over 50 traders staying open late to promote a host of special offers.

To cap the evening off, the Dirty Rockin Scoundrels emulated the Beatles and Madness in performing on a rooftop…this time Gibson’s Cars was the band’s Buckingham Palace.

Crowds – many from outside the villages – also had the opportunity to follow a trail around Albrighton’s many independent shops, which range from tearooms, family butchers and boutique girls clothing to vintage home accessories, real ale pubs and gift emporiums.

Sarah Killeen, Owner of Albrighton Cakes and one of the organisers, commented: “It was fantastic how everyone in the village came together to promote all the hidden gems we have here.

“All the traders reported increased football from last year and there was a real buzz around the village, with the mix of entertainment, homemade food and drink and community groups selling their goods to raise money proving a fantastic combination.”

She continued: “The challenge now is to make next year’s even bigger and better, so the hard work starts now.”

Christmas Extravaganza trail leaflets proved extremely popular with visitors and the Albrighton Trust Moat & Gardens sold out of their 30 handcrafted reindeers within a couple of hours.

In a hotly contested competition, Number 76 was announced as the shop front winner for its stunning festive display, followed closely by Latte Da and My Girl Boutique.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .