Baldock is preparing for a fun-filled festive day out as the Christmas fair and light switch-on promises to be better than ever.

Saturday’s Baldock Christmas Fair will include funfair rides, craft stalls and a festive bar.

Father Christmas will also be making an appearance, parking his sleigh in the High Street while he says hello to the children in St Mary’s Church Hall, and the big lights switch on will round off the evening.

The Christmas Extravaganza will also include gingerbread decorating, a sewing workshop, wreath decorating, meet and feed Santa’s reindeer and a candle centrepiece workshop

Baldock ward Councillor Jim McNally has been liaising with Rob Cusworth from Baldock Rotary, with hopes that this year’s lights will be a significant improvement on previous years.

Additional money has been provided by NHDC through its area committee and extra businesses have signed up to allow the lights to be hung from their premises.

Mr McNally said: “The Baldock Events Forum continues to evolve and strives to serve the community of Baldock through the promotion of a vibrant community events programme.

“We have considered a number of ways to manage this, but at this time, are unable to afford the cost of a full time town centre manager.

“Instead, we are appointing event coordinators to run specific events, overseen by the events director Caroline Lewis. The first event to be run this way is the Christmas Fair, which is being managed by Sally Matthews.”

The fun will begin at 10am this Saturday and with the light switch-on happening at 4pm in Baldock town centre.