Christmas Has Arrived!

Is everyone else feeling festive?

After Christmas In Abbotswood we certainly are! And what an amazing day it was too...

Some of you may have heard this little poem recently, after a special advert popped up on Facebook...

It's November in Abbotswood, and all round the green
Our elves are rushing, trying not be seen
Christmas is coming, there's lots to prepare
For Father Christmas, soon will be there...

The donkeys are resting, all snug in the hay
Waiting for children, to come up and play
Will Mary and Joseph, find room at the inn
Or settle outside to watch the fun begin...

In front of the church, there will be such a clamour
As the police arrive, to join in the chatter
Driving their cars they'll fly like a flash
Keen to help Santa deliver his stash...

We'll welcome you please, come in from the cold
Explore our fayre, there's much to behold
Fun will be had, we'll make such a din
​With games to play and prizes to win...

And it all came true!

Hip Hip... Hooray!! Great effort everyone!!

Mary and Joseph may not have found any room at the Abbotswood Inn but they did join us for plenty of fun, along with some other special guests. What amazing performances we had from our musicians: Mangotsfield Ukulele Jam, Dodington Parish Band and the joint Wellesley and Abbotswood school choir, can we have you back next year for an encore? The donkeys were wonderfully well behaved... much better behaved than the loveable Loki the Lion! And of course what would Christmas be without a visit from Santa? Our local police made fantastic little elves, or perhaps they were just after his stash of sweets...

Our fayre was the busiest we've seen, so thank you to the stallholders who came along and braved the cold, your bits and bobs all looked incredible. Games were played and prizes were won. Congratulations to Julie for winning the luxury hamper from the draw. Perhaps more importantly, congratulations to 6 year old Ace who proudly won the poo emoji cushion off of the tombola. Your celebratory dance more than impressed the team from Agincare and deserves a huge round of applause.

There are a few special words of thanks to be said, so on behalf of all of us in Abbotswood:

Phil, Nessa, Barbara, Kerry (Abbotswood Action Group) and Alex (Southern Brooks Community Partnerships) for your hard work throughout the year organising Christmas In Abbotswood. Thanks also go to all the volunteers who helped us out on the day.

Dodington Parish Council for your help with advertising.

Yate Town Council for funding and installing the Christmas tree.

South Gloucestershire Council, Councillors Tony Davis and Louise Harris for funding the event.

And lastly...

We estimated that 500 people joined us to celebrate this year so we wanted to thank you all for helping us keep our community Christmas spirit alive. 

https://pixabay.com/

It's the time of year for indulgence, so here's a few extra festive photos just for fun...

Before we head off and take a well earned Christmas break we thought you might like a quick trip down memory lane. A few reminders of the good times we've had over the last 12 months... They've been keeping us motivated and thinking ahead to make 2020 an amazing year for Abbotswood...

From all of us here in Abbotswood we would like to wish a you a very happy Christmas and a fabulous new year.

We'll see you in 2020!