Bishop Auckland Town Council

Bishop Auckland Town Council - Tempori Parendum

Looking Back – Christmas

Bishop Auckland’s Christmas Town – 26th, 27th and 28th November 2021

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Bishop Auckland Christmas Town Banner - 26th, 27th 28th November 2021It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Bishop Auckland.

Come and join us from 4:30pm on Friday 26th November in the Market Place to kick off a weekend packed full of festive fun, with a fantastic selection from the Full Moon Street Food Markets, the Christmas Tree Illumination at 6pm and various street entertainment throughout the evening, including performances by Jack Drum Arts and Rock Choir.

For the full lineup of weekend entertainment and to book tickets for the Ice Rink and the many other exciting indoor activities and events, please visit the Bishop Auckland’s Christmas Town website.

You can also follow the latest news on the Bishop Auckland’s Christmas Town Facebook page.

Santa’s Grotto

Santa’s Grotto in the Christmas Village, Market Place will be open on Saturday 27th November, 10am to 6pm and  Sunday 28th November, 10am to 4pm.  Santa’s Grotto is a free event and a booking is required through the Bishop Auckland’s Christmas Town website.

We would like to give a special thanks to Durham County Council, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Bridge Creative, Baccanalia and The Auckland Project for helping to make this event possible.

Bishop Auckland’s Christmas Town is an event funded by Durham County Council’s COVID COMF Scheme and Bishop Auckland Town Council.

Christmas Still Comes to Bishop Auckland Town

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Christmas has come to town in Bishop Auckland. The town is going to be aglow with Christmas Lights and the jingle of bells in the countdown to Christmas. Partners have come together to bring a bit of festive cheer throughout December with a range of projects across Bishop Auckland.

Christmas Tree outside of Bishop Auckland Town Hall
Christmas Tree outside of Bishop Auckland Town Hall

A jingle bell theme is present as Bishop Auckland Town Council are on board with ‘Worldwide Christmas Eve Jingle’ where households are encouraged to be on their doorsteps to ring a bell at 6pm Christmas Eve to raise Christmas spirit and help Santa’s sleigh fly to each child’s destination.
To compliment the theme the Town Council are running a colouring competition to decorate a picture of Jingle Bells. Entrants have the opportunity to win a Christmas Hamper Box full of goodies all sourced from Bishop Auckland.

The Town Council have supplied, with support from Regeneration Development at South Durham Enterprise Agency, additional decorations to the market place, Bishop Auckland Railway station and Woodhouse Close Community Centre as the usual Christmas Light Switch on event, wasn’t able to take place under the current government COVID guidelines. One of the major attractions will be a Christmas light installation projection onto St Anne’s Church, in the Market Place, which will go live from Thursday 10th December 2020. The projection can be viewed between 4-8pm each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening on the run up to Christmas.

Councillor Joy Allen, Mayor of Bishop Auckland said: “Christmas is such an important time of year and even more so after the year we have had. As a Town Council the light switch on event is one of our favourites as it brings everyone together, so it is a shame that we couldn’t do what we usually do this year. However not to be defeated by the ongoing restrictions we decided Christmas was still coming to Town. We want everyone to know that Bishop Auckland is open for business and we have some fabulous local and independent businesses who need shoppers support more than ever.

I encourage everyone to pop into town to shop local, see our lovely lights and to enter out lovely Jingle bell Colouring competition, as you could win a beautiful box of Bishop Auckland goodies. All of the gifts including the Christmas Eve box have been sourced from local businesses in the town.”

As part of the Christmas program, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Mrs Sue Snowdon has recited a beautiful Christmas Bells poem, written by Beryl Anderson, to support the Christmas Eve Jingle, alongside the buglers from the 8th Rifles performed inside Auckland Castle. This is available online to share with children.

Her Majesty‘s Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Mrs Sue Snowdon, reading Santa Bells in the Gentleman's Hall of Auckland Castle with the fanfare of Bells from the 8th Rifles.
Her Majesty‘s Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Mrs Sue Snowdon, reading Santa Bells in the Gentleman’s Hall of Auckland Castle with the fanfare of Bells from the 8th Rifles.

 

Beryl Anderson from Regeneration Development at South Durham Enterprise Agency said: “It has been an amazing opportunity to work with so many different organisations and companies who all have supported the Town council in an attempt to lift people’s spirits.”

Other Partners including the Auckland Project, Angel Trust and the faith communities have a range of Christmas Projects going on too. These include some virtual Church services arranged by Rev. Eileen Harrop and Bishop Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, as well as windows decorated by the Angel Trust, the Auckland project and an online Bells Street dance performed in the grounds of Auckland Castle – by the “Prophecy Team “ at Extreme Dance fusion, so there is lot to see in the Town and online.

The Auckland Project have pledged their support by decorating the Auckland Tower in collaboration with Daisy Arts, their horticulture teams have added lovely foliage and wreaths to their doors round the Market place. They also have a beautiful evolving mural in the window of No 42, plus there is ‘selfie’ opportunity in the window of the former Home Bargains shop. Children are invited to stroll through the Bishop’s Park on a lovely Reindeer Trail to the Deer Park where you need to find the missing reindeer, and have the opportunity to win one of these wonderful creations.

The Countdown to Christmas has officially began in Bishop Auckland

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Bishop of Durham Paul Butler the Mayor of Bishop Auckland, Councillor Joy Allen took great pleasure in officially opening the Town Council’s Countdown to Christmas Event in the Market Place on Friday 29th November with an estimated 1,500 people flocking to start the festive season.

Bishop Paul Butler blessed the event before Alex Winters from CBeebies hosted a range of performers and entertainment from the stage in the Market Place.  Entertainment was provided by Connor Thomas, Innovations, Khalysis and the StarKidz Elves.

Visitors enjoyed delicious food from the Full Moon Street Food Market and attractions that were on offer including, children’s rides and a Santa’s grotto in St Anne’s Church.

The H.O.G. Geordie Chapter helped Santa find his way to the Market Place on the back of a Harley Davidson so he could switch on the Christmas Tree Lights and really get Bishop Auckland into the Christmas spirit.

The evening closed with Innovations on back on stage with Santa to perform a classic Christmas hit!

The Mayor, Joy Allen, said: “It was a great evening with lots going on and I was really pleased to see so many people enjoying themselves, the look on the children’s faces when Santa arrived by motorbike was priceless.”

The Mayor went on to thank people behind the scenes who made the event possible including, AH Events, St Anne’s Church, and Innovations.


Photography: John Alderson Photography

Christmas in Bishop Auckland 2018

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The Countdown to Christmas has officially began in Bishop Auckland

The Mayor of Bishop Auckland, Councillor David Fleming took great pleasure in officially opening the Countdown to Christmas Event in the Market Place on Friday 23rd November with an estimated 2,000 people flocking to start the festive season.

Mayor David Fleming on Stage at the Bishop Auckland Christmas event
Mayor David Fleming on the Main Stage

Bishop Paul Butler blessed the event before a magnificent Nativity Scene unfolded which was performed by St John’s School and Sixth Form College in partnership with St Anne’s Church and Jane Crawford.

Visitors enjoyed delicious food from the Full Moon Street Food Market and attractions that were on offer including the Big Purple Play Bus, children’s rides and a Santa’s grotto in the Town Hall.

Bishop Auckland Fire and Rescue gave Santa a lift to the Town Hall balcony where he switched on the Christmas Tree Lights.

Bishop Auckland Christmas 2018, Santa's Arrival with Bishop Auckland Fire Brigade
Santa’s Arrival with Bishop Auckland Fire Brigade

The evening closed with a festive medley of Christmas songs performed by Innovations.

Bishop Auckland Christmas 2018, Innovations singing Christmas Carols on Stage
Innovations singing Christmas Carols on Stage

Mayor, David Fleming said:
“It was a great evening with lots going on and I was really pleased to see so many people enjoying themselves, the look on the children’s faces when Santa arrived by Fire Engine was priceless.”

The Mayor went on to thank people behind the scenes who made the event possible including, Stanley Events, Councillor Brownson the MC, staff at the Town Hall, St John’s School and Sixth Form College, St Anne’s Church, Innovations, Bishop Auckland and Shildon AAP and Bishop Auckland Community Fire Brigade.

Christmas in Bishop Auckland 2017

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Festive cheer at the Bishop Auckland Town Council Christmas Event

View of Bishop Auckland Market Place from the Town Hall balcony
View of Bishop Auckland Market Place from the Town Hall balcony

Bishop Auckland Town Council, together with St Anne’s Church, The Auckland Project, Advent Windows and the Town Hall, organised the town’s celebrations to mark the beginning of the festive period.  The weather played its part by supplying snowfall the previous evening making the Market Place look very Christmassy.

The whole event was in danger of being cancelled because of the icy conditions, but Durham County Council’s Green and Clean team came to the rescue doing a fantastic job in clearing the market place.

The event was opened by the Rt Rev Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, who blessed the celebrations and the 1,000 plus strong crowd.  Children from local schools led Christmas carols from the stage.

The first of the town’s advent windows was unveiled at the Town Hall by the Mayor, Adam Zair.  This year Advent Windows in association with the Town Team have obtained funding to hold an advent window project in the town centre.  Twenty four businesses have joined with twenty four local schools to turn the town centre into a giant living advent calendar.  Each day throughout December until Christmas Eve a window is to be unveiled, which has been decorated by a local school on the theme of a Christmas carol or song.

The first window, located in the Town Hall, was decorated by children from Woodhouse Primary School who sung ‘Now Light One Thousand Christmas Lights’ as their artwork was unveiled.

To coincide with the theme of 1,000 lights St Anne’s Church, in conjunction with The Auckland Project had created lantern templates which had been distributed to local schools for them to decorate and bring along to the event.

Christmas Lights Switch On 2017 - Santa and Police Interceptors
Santa with the Police Interceptors

Santa Claus’ sleigh broke down on the way to the event, but the Police Interceptors came to the rescue by delivering him to the Town Hall with blue lights flashing and sirens sounding just in time for him to turn on the Christmas tree lights.

The event also included performances from Belle from ‘Beauty and the Beast and Friends’ a Santa’s grotto, children’s fairground rides and street food.

The Mayor of Bishop Auckland said:
“The event worked really well and I am particularly pleased by the way the community organisations worked together to make this a lovely festive evening for everyone.”

Christmas in Bishop Auckland 2016

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The Festive season gets off to a great start in Bishop Auckland

Santa in the spotlight on Bishop Auckland Town Hall Balcony
Santa in the spotlight on Bishop Auckland Town Hall Balcony

A crowd of approximately 1,000 people turned out in the chilly, but dry weather to enjoy the annual festive entertainment organised by Bishop Auckland Town Council.

It started with a Reindeer parade from five of the primary schools from the Bishop Auckland area who followed two festive stilt walkers, Santa’s Sleigh and Ponies from Newgate Street into the Market Place.  ‘Runaway Samba’ warmed up the parade with their fantastic blend of Brazilian rhythms and world beats Community Priest Eileen Harrop blessed the event, and then the Town was treated to brilliant Carol singing performances from Woodhouse Community Primary School, St Andrew’s Primary School, Escomb Primary School and Cockton Hill Infant School.

Moments later Santa Claus arrived accompanied by his special friend’s miniature ponies Adora, Mew and Joe where he officially switched on the tree lights from the Town Hall balcony.

Many people enjoyed the warmth of St Anne’s who served Mulled wine and mince pies, while Prayer Stations were looked after by children from St Anne’s School.

The evening finished where photos could be taken with Santa and the ponies for a donation to the Mayor’s charity the Butterwick Hospice, and in the true spirit of giving for Christmas, just over £40 was raised!

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