THOUSANDS of people filled the centre of Great Malvern last Friday and most them, at least the small ones, had come to see one person.
Whether Malvern Town Council realised what a big star it had to switch-on the Christmas lights this year is doubtful.
Actress Kasia Hadded is not exactly a household name to most people, even to her army of fans on Friday night who know her only as Josie Jump, from the hit BBC children's television programme Balamory.
Malvern Samba Band led a parade up Church Street, as the actress, who is appearing in Peter Pan at Malvern Theatres, arrived on a sled drawn by reindeer to switch-on the lights.
The other person children had come to see was, of course, Father Christmas, who met 500 children over two days in his grotto on Belle Vue Terrace.
Town council staff had spent weeks wrapping 1,000 presents, a number donated by Woolworths, for the children.
The entertainment concluded with a spectacular fireworks display in Priory Park on a night when the real stars were the thousands of people who braved the cold to create such a fabulous atmosphere.
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