Christmas in Westfield

Westfield: the first 10 years Christmas in Westfield

All Westfield Parish Councillors, past and present, have had the ambition to give Westfield residents a sense of community and belonging. We are not Radstock, we are not Midsomer Norton, we are WESTFIELD.

One of the initiatives that came out to promote ourselves as Westfield was the annual switching on of the Christmas lights. This is an event that takes place on the last Thursday of November and has grown considerably since its inception in 2012.

When we started there were some people gathered around the Christmas tree singing carols and tea and coffee offered in the Trinity Methodist church hall. Since then, Father Christmas agreed to come along and give small free gifts to the children, we serve mulled wine and mince pies from a stall close to the tree and local children get to have the joy of switching the lights on. We are serenaded each year by the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Silver Band and Westfield Voices, we try to pass on the ecclesiastical message of Christmas by inviting one of the local churches to offer a thought and the whole event attracts hundreds of residents to take part. The Big Local have taken part, distributing fun and healthy snacks or games to the children and in 2019, the Mayor of Bath, Cllr Eleanor Jackson came along to get the party started. In 2017, we were even streamed on live radio, courtesy of Somer Valley FM! The lights on the lampposts through the centre of Westfield have also increased hugely, culminating in a display last year that went from one end of the A367 in Westfield to the other. So many positive comments have been made about this display – thank you for that.