Quieter Christmas in Bridgnorth as coronavirus hits festivity plans

While the lights will go up as usual, town councillors say that the threat from Covid-19 means that they won't be having the usual celebrations that go with it.

They say want to avoid large crowds gathering in the town centre.

Past years have seen entertainment provided, stalls set up and Christmas music, drawing hundreds of families to see the switching on of the lights.

But at their online August meeting, councillors agreed that the risks of spreading coronavirus were too high this year to put on such a night, which had been planned for November 20.

Instead there will be a quiet switching on ceremony and shop keepers will be asked to keep their stores open during the evening.

Chairman of the town’s events committee, Councillor Sarah Barlow, said the switching-on ceremony always attracted a lot of people.

"It would be foolish to put on an evening that would bring crowds into the town in the light of the current situation and the need for social distancing," she said.

"Although we would be sensible not to have the market stalls that would we normally have we could still have a smaller event with shops open late and a simple lighting up ceremony."

Some councillors suggested that maybe there should be a choir singing Christmas carols.

But Councillor Barlow reminded the council that singing was not allowed in groups at the moment because if was believed that it projected the virus.

During the debate there was also a plea from Councillor Edward Marshall for money to be spent on new lights.

He said the current lights were old fashioned and "rather naff".

Councillor Marshall suggested that the town hall was a perfect building to be lit us with creative lighting such as back lit windows to gave an old world feel to the festivities.

"We have rather old-fashioned, out-of-date Christmas lights, can't we have some new ones," he said.

"We have a building in the middle of the High Street that would be perfect to light up like an old Christmas card. But instead we have some sad bulbs that we hang across the street."