Telford was the shining town of Shropshire last night when TV star Gabrielle Drake arrived for the annual Tree of Light switch-on.

The Tree of Light campaign, now in its 15th year, has so far raised more than £18,000 for charities around Telford.

Bringing a bit of glamour to the ceremony in Dean Square, Telford Shopping Centre, was the actress who played Lt Gay Ellis in the cult 1970 science fiction television series UFO and is probably best remembered for her part as motel boss Nicola Freeman in the ITV soap opera Crossroads.

Crowds who turned up for the switch-on, after paying to have the name of a loved one put around the tree, were treated to some seasonal tunes by the Salvation Army Band.

The concept of the Tree of Light first came to Shropshire from South Africa in the 1990s by Reverend Paul Firman, a member of Shawbury and Mid Shropshire Rotary Club.

The idea grew and now almost every town in the county has its own Tree of Light ceremony each year. The money raised goes to charities chosen by the four Rotary clubs of Telford – Ironbridge, Telford Centre, Wellington and The Wrekin

This year half of the proceeds will go to Severn Hospice and the other half will be divided between The Lady Forrester Day Care Centre, Lingen Davies Cancer Relief Fund, Telford & Wrekin Mind and Wellington Cottage Care Centre.

Each charity will get their cheque in March next year at a special ceremony at the Buckatree Hotel in Wellington.