PENARTH Town Council's annual Christmas parade and switching-on event will this year take place during the afternoon and early evening of Sunday, November 25.

Representatives from Penarth Cytun (Council of Churches) and the Vale Council have also joined the working group to assist with the preparations.

The Christmas parade will assemble outside West House at 1pm and leave at 1.45pm towards the town centre.

The theme for the parade will be 'Christmas of Yesteryear', and a spokesman for the working group said: "We want to encourage individuals, families, groups, schools, churches, businesses and organisations to dress up as their favourite characters, perhaps from their own childhood, and join in the parade.

"The aim is to create a showcase spectacular to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas Festivities period, and to bring camaraderie and a sense of fun to the town!"

There will be no entry or registration forms for the parade, and more details of the entertainment in the town will be published in the Christmas programme and also closer to the event in the Penarth Times.

Before and after the parade there will be entertainment in the town centre followed by the switching-on of the Christmas street decorations early in the evening. The Town Council, with support from the Vale Council, is financing the decorations.

Festive food and refreshments will be made available by local traders of the town - there will be no outside caterers attending the event in the hope that local businesses will benefit on the day.

There will be a best dressed window competition based on the 'Christmas of Yesteryear' theme, and it is hoped that Penarth traders will take time to dress up their window displays for the festive season.

For further details of the event, contact Keri Hutchings on 029 2071 3843 or email khutchings@penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk