CHRISTMAS looks like being extra special in Alton this year as plans by Alton Town Council start to take shape to bring more festive activity into the town centre.

The town’s annual Yuletide festivities will take place over the weekend of December 1-2 when the High Street, Market Square, Market Street, Cross & Pillory Lane and Turk Street will be closed to traffic for daytime activity, opening again in the evenings.

They will begin with a pedestrianised High Street shopping day from 9am-5pm in celebration of Small Business Saturday which will be supported by an ice rink in the Market Square, open from 11am-8pm, and the HomeStart Wey-Water Santa Run in the afternoon, from 1pm-3.15pm.

The Santa Run prizegiving will take place from 3.30pm-4pm at The Cairn Memorial on Crown Hill, culminating with the Christmas lights switch-on - which this year will see a more modern, colourful feature piece in the form of a huge sparkling Santa hat on the lawn outside the Assembly Rooms, to compliment the Santa Run event.

It will mean the lights will be fully operational for Sunday’s Yuletide Festival, which will take place from 10am-4pm on the High Street and Market Street, with the ice rink open from 10am-4pm next to the traditional Christmas tree in The Square.

In agreeing the format during this month’s community and events committee meeting, councillors heard that while the ice rink would be in situ over the entire weekend, it would be protected by on-site security and CCTV coverage.