As many as 10,000 shoppers and revellers are thought to have braved the crisp winter chill to get into the Christmas spirit at the Festival of Carols and late night shopping event.
The decades-old tradition is now a magical way for many to start the countdown to Christmas, as independent traders join forces with the Rotary Club of Tynedale and other local organisations to showcase all that the community has to offer. This year the event was bigger than ever, with performers from Consett’s CBS Theatre Group donning Victorian dress.
The historic Pele Tower was illuminated in a Lumiere-style light show while visitors browsed shops, over 30 outdoor stalls and visited a Christmas market at The Black Bull pub.
And more lights than ever adorned the trees and buildings in the heart of the village, thanks to contributions from councillors, residents and the village show committee.
David Crompton, chairman of Corbridge Traders’ Association, said: “What pleased us most as a village, I think, is to see all of our lovely local customers coming out to support us alongside people who travelled from all over the region.
“We seemed to have more visitors from across the North-East than ever before.
“And what that means is that we’re getting the message out there about what a lovely place Corbridge is.”
He also praised the efforts of the Rotarians who, for the last 36 years, have organised carols and music in the Market Place.
This year, youngsters from the Corbridge Middle School choir sang carols followed by performances from Hexham Brass Band and the Prudhoe Gleemen.
“All of behind the scenes details, which people don’t normally see, like organising the road closures and getting the buses redirected, all went smoothly,” added David.
In recent years the four-day Christmas Tree Festival at St Andrew’s Church has become a focal point of the event.
Over 80 trees decorated by village groups were on display, while glühwein and stollen was on offer at a mini Christmas market.
“We’ve had over 5,000 people through the doors across the weekend,” said festival organiser, Linda Hunter, who invited local artist Claudia Rankin to judge the entries, and welcomed Hexham’s MP Guy Opperman as a visitor on Saturday.
“There was a very moving entry from the British Legion which included poppies bearing all of the names of those from Corbridge who died in the wars,” said Linda.
“There was a hat at the base and red baubles to symbolise the blood shed. It was given a gold award and was really very special.”
Others created trees from huge wheels of cheese and empty wine bottles.
An exhibition – Aspects of Historical Corbridge – presented by David Waugh of Corbridge Village Trust was also available to view in St Andrew’s Church Cottage.
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