CHILDREN in Llandaff North were delighted to see Santa at the Christmas lights switch on.
More than 200 people were at the event on Station Road last weekend to see Santa and his elves come through the streets on his sleigh, joined by a Welsh Red Dragon.
Chris Morrell, a member of the Llandaff North Community choir, said that it was the magic of Santa that made Christmas a special time for children.
She said: “Christmas is for the children and Santa brings a message of hope, giving and love.
“Santa is a tradition that has been around for hundreds of years. But it’s also fun for the children because he is that magical person who travels around on his sleigh.”
As well as Santa being present at the event, there were also food and toy stalls and a big bouncy slide for the children to enjoy.
Performances were from Llandaff North Community choir, who had only been together for seven weeks. They sang Joys Of The World, White Winter Hymnal and Merry Christmas Everyone. Hawthorne School Rock Band also performed at the event.
Norman Gettings, treasurer of the Llandaff North Festival said the event was one that many members of the community look forward to every year.
He said: “We put a lot of work into this, as well as the summer festival. Everything we do throughout the year is aimed at paying for the Christmas lights, which is the most expensive part of our year.
“Shops stay open and a lot of the businesses contribute to the lights. Coffi Cwtch are selling mulled wine and Lew’s Coffee Shop sell burgers and hot chocolate every year.”
Anthony Sundaramoorthy, chef and owner of Dil Jeera Restaurant, said many of the businesses run stalls as the switch on is often well attended.
He said: “We’re offering a wide range of food here. We’re looking at roughly 200 to 400 people attending tonight. So we’re hoping it will be busy!”
The event attracted over 200 people and the area between the Co-op and Party Central on Station Road was closed to traffic.
Dilwar Ali, Llandaff North Councillor said the turnout for the event was much bigger than it had been in the previous year.
He said: “Every year the Llandaff North Festival committee are doing wonderful work for the community and it’s getting bigger and bigger.”
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