Eggleston residents trip the light fantastic

A HEAVY snow shower couldn’t stop Eggleston residents making the most of their Christmas lights switch-on last Thursday.

Children welcomed the snow with open arms, while their mums and dads said the weather made this year’s event even more festive.

Free mulled wine and hot soup was on offer, along with sweets for the young ones.

In all, 29 trees were lit up on the village green. The illuminations also included a reindeer – much to the children’s delight. Suzanne Herbert, one of the organisers, said: “Again this year, we’ve benefited from donations and fundraising.

“We’ve got more lights this year and we’ve refreshed some of the old ones. There’s more colour too.”

Leftover funds from the annual Teesdale Sheep Grand National event, which folded this year, were also distributed to the Christmas lights, as well as the village carnival. Willie Salvin pressed the button to turn the lights on after his name was pulled out of the hat in a fundraising draw. He praised the effort residents went to make their village look so special at Christmas. The Three Tuns pub provided the soup while Freddy Algarth donated the wine.

Villager Andrew Nicholson, who rigged up the sound system, joked: “New York City and Eggleston’s Christmas lights are the only two illuminations that can be seen from the International Space Station.”

David Hutchinson, who plays a key role in the event, said there was no question of cancelling due to the snow. He added: “The worse case scenario is everyone in the pub across the road while I press the button.”

But villages had no need to worry this year – dozens of people braved the cold to enjoy the family event.