Festive fun planned for Telford's Christmas lights switch-on - but no star guest on bill
Celebrity guests have been axed from Telford's Christmas lights switch-on this year, with a whole day of events being held instead.
Singer Peter Andre did the honours last year, while panto stars and Telford Tigers players have previously thrown the switch.
But this year an animatronic polar bear called Bjorn will take centre stage. A programme of events will be on offer on Saturday, November 19, from 10am.
Glynn Morrow, Telford Shopping Centre manager, said: "We're extremely excited about Christmas this year as we know the celebrations we have planned will be the best ever.
"We're confident our jam-packed schedule of events will not only put people in the Christmas spirit but also give our visitors something they've never seen before.
"There are some really special acts lined up during a full day of free family entertainment and magical surprises throughout the centre, culminating in fabulous pyrotechnic displays at 4pm to mark the grand lights switch-on.
"Our theme this year is 'shop the light fantastic' so expect some highly visual performances on show."
Visitors can watch the full-size Bjorn the bear walk, blink, sniff and make sounds.
Also featured will be Sparky the Robot and the Snow Queen's Ice Chariot, an Arctic performance combining costumes, contortions and balancing acts.
To mark the lights switch-on, shoppers will be able to watch pyrotechnic displays outside McDonald's and House of Fraser. There will also be visual displays from the FlameOz Fire Show, stilt-walking fairy tale princesses, and the winter wonderland birds.
Santa and his team of elves will be in the centre's Grotto on November 17 at 4pm.
Last year fans flocked to the centre to see celebrity Peter Andre switch on the lights.
A spokeswoman for the centre said: "It's very different this year, in previous years it has been a light switch-on on Thursday evening outside the centre, this year there's a whole day of entertainment and a pyrotechnic display.
"Doing it on a Thursday evening meant there were a lot of people who couldn't go to the centre. It gives us more time to do things and more people can get involved with it."
