Village near Telford celebrates hall's 50th Christmas with first real tree and switch-on event
A Shropshire village has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its village hall with a special Christmas switch-on event.
The village hall in the small hamlet of Ellerdine, north of Wellington, marks its 50th anniversary this month.
To celebrate the community hub's birthday, the Ellerdine Village Hall Committee decided to install its first real Christmas tree at the hall, and marked the occasion with a switch-on event over the weekend to coincide with the community's Christmas fair on Sunday.
Jordan Gardner from the committee said: "This year is particularly special for us. We have held many events throughout the year celebrating the anniversary.
"This month, for the first time, Ellerdine Village Hall has been displaying a real outdoor Christmas tree to mark the anniversary - generously donated by Swinnerton Christmas Trees in Market Drayton.
"The community has truly come together to make this possible. We recently held a local fundraiser titled Light up Ellerdine Village Hall, where residents contributed to cover the cost of the new Christmas lights and the equipment needed to decorate outside the hall."
He added that committee members stepped forward to decorate the tree and transform the front of the hall.
On Sunday (December 7), following the Ellerdine Christmas Fair in the afternoon, the community gathered for the Christmas lights switch-on at 4pm, and four-year-olds Tommy and Amber had the honour of pressing the button following a countdown.
"It was a lovely afternoon that brought the community together," said Jordan. "In a time when rural communities are facing real challenges, the way Ellerdine has pulled together shows the true spirit of Christmas shining through."
