Kelso lights up to mark the start of the festive season

With more than 120 dancers, a funfair and an appearance from Santa, the switch-on celebrations have been hailed as a huge success by their organisers.

Kelso Community Events group chairman Peter Fry said: “We had the most well-known man in the world switching on the lights, Santa himself.

“He also spent time speaking with all the children and gave some quite useful feedback to the parents.

“We had four market stalls offering refreshments and festive gluhwein, the committee ran a tombola, the Royal British Legion stand provided delicious hom-emade food and the grotto looked very artistic, decorated by Liz Heard from Kelso Pottery.”

A host of entertainment came from more than 120 young dancers from three Kelso dance schools, Michelle Douglas’s M Pulse Dance, McNally Dance Academy and the Lynella School of Highland Dancing.

“The ballet dancers always put on an amazing show each year. The Highland dancers are really sweet, and Michelle Douglas’s school always go all out with some modern dance stuff,” Peter added.

The children were also each given a small gift from Santa and a free go on the funfair, all provided free of charge by Kelso Community Events.

Peter explained: “For me it is all about the children. It’s about Santa’s visit, the dancers and the funfair. It is a couple of hours of magic.”

Donations throughout the afternoon and evening brought in more than £400 for the lights fund, which will go towards the £1,000 needed each year to cover the displays and insurance costs.

Kelso Community Events has been co-ordinating the lights and organising the annual celebratory switch-on for more than five years, but with a committee of just five volunteers, plus the provost and Kelso councillors, new members are always welcome.

Anyone willing to help out on the committee can contact Peter through the group’s Facebook page.