The switching on of Christmas lights has become an important event in many communities. However, instead of one large Christmas light 'switch-on', Witney has decided to opt for three separate celebrations on the grounds of safety.
Last year, the Oxforshire town's Christmas light switch-on was attended by around 8,000 people and cost the council £38,000. However, organisers became concerned that the number of people at the event caused a 'crush' and were told by the Safety Action Group, which is made up of representatives from West Oxfordshire District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police, that they would not get a licence for a similar event this year.
As a result, and in the interests of safety, three different events will be held instead. This includes a children's Advent Fayre, the Mayor's carol service and a three-day selection of specialist stalls for Christmas shoppers.
Town council communications officer Polly Inness said, "Last year we ended up with 8,000 people in the Market Square. We were told we wouldn’t be able to get a licence to do that this year. There’s no way we can control the crowd and we have a duty of care. Last year was a little bit scary, so we were told we couldn't do it again.
"It’s probably only going to be one year off, to see if we can find solutions to how it runs. So this year, we will have lots of events that will break the crowd down."
