Press Release

Huge Crowd Welcomes Santa to Guildhall Square

Thursday, November 23, 2006

One of the city's largest crowd for the Switch On of the Christmas lights welcomed Santa to Guildhall Square on Wednesday evening (22nd Wednesday). Joined on stage by the City's Mayor Cllr Helen Quigley, Emmerdale’s Debbie Dingle, representatives from Derry City Football Team and Cinderella Panto Stars, Santa brought plenty of Christmas cheer to the thousands of young families in the city centre for this annual event.

Mayor, Cllr Helen Quigley said it was a fantastic night with a great atmosphere, "The weather, music, atmosphere and all our special guests added an extra sparkle to a fantastic family experience. Families thronged Guildhall Square to enjoy the switch on and their enthusiasm and enjoyment made it a truly special event".

The crowds enjoyed a special arrival by Santa from the City Walls aided by the local Fire Brigade along with music from the James Peake Experience. Charlie Web aka Debbie Dingle said the experience was amazing. Speaking after the event she said: "It was a wonderful evening. Everyone was so friendly and I really enjoyed my visit. It was very special and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas".

Event Controller, Gerald McColgan from Derry City Council thanked everyone who assisted with arrangements for the event. "It takes much planning for this event and the inter-agency team provided excellent support to ensure it was a successful evening. A fantastic audience filled Guildhall Square and Derry City Council would like to thank everyone who made it possible".

Ends

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