Features and Reviews

Brixham Christmas Parade 2007

Following the success of last year's Christmas Parade, Mary Thompson and Pride in Brixham launched the 2007 Parade and it proved to be bigger and more fun packed than the previous year.

With the help of Pat, Sylvia and Mike, Mary and the Pride team were not going to be daunted by the poor weather start to the day after months of meetings and connecting to local groups and workshops, all designed for even greater community participation this year.  Indeed the heavy wind and rain had forced many events that were planned throughout the day to entertain the shoppers to be cancelled. But with so many eager to parade and a miraculous change in conditions during the afternoon the evening procession went off perfectly, with one and a half circuits around the town.

When asked about the people who helped make the parade happen, Mary said “There are numerous people, too many to mention, and thanks must go to the generous help from all the people behind the scenes”.

This year, Edgar Lawrence from the Brixham Heritage Museum dressed in Napoleonic military costume to lead the procession steeped in historical characters.

Being Christmas, local churches created scenes from the Nativity, with children and adults from the Beacon of Light Fellowship showing Joseph travelling to Bethlehem with Mary by donkey after being told by angels that she was expecting Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us'. Meanwhile the story was unfolded by members of All Saints Church, who created the whole scene in the stable with the infant Jesus on a float followed by angels, wise men and shepherds recognising the birth of Christ. Gail and Emma from Donkey Dayz once again kindly provided working donkeys to carry Danny as Joseph and Millie as Mary, with donkey Tommy doing his first Christmas Parade and Rolo making this his second year.

Creating a theme of ‘Christmas Past', many people chose to dress in Dickensian costumes, echoing life a century ago and indeed the watching crowds waited excitedly to see what style of dress would appear next. A stunning white horse called Sunset was ridden side-saddle by an elegantly dressed lady, contrasting the 2 nd World War soldiers and land rover from the Heritage Battery Group.

Over the noise of the crowds Town Criers from Newton Abbot dressed in blue and the Torbay Crier dressed in red, were joined by many bands, including the Paignton Sea Cadet Band who stood out in their smart uniforms and proudly carried their instruments high above their heads. With the amalgamation of the Brixham Town Band and the Merchant Navy Band, an impressive sound was provided as the procession moved along, accompanied by the haunting tones of two Scottish pipers.

It was also hard to miss the Brixham Buccaneers in their pirate's outfits, festooned with parrots and all things nautical, and the monstrous characters of the Brixham Beserkers.  Diane the juggler from Whizz Bang was out and about in the crowds with her flashing juggling balls, huge shoes and multi coloured clown clothes whilst a ship on a float also passed by with the Breakwater Battlers inside.

There were so many people dressed in costumes, with all shapes and sizes taking part, including a tiny reindeer pulling a baby Father Christmas in a sleigh! The ladies from Douglas House, Kay and Sarah, Brixham ACL's own choir singing Christmas carols as they made there way around the town, plus, to the delight of the younger members of the crowd, Mickey and Minnie Mouse put in an appearance.

Some of the floats that passed by were full of lights and colour, such as the Miss Torbay and Miss Harbertonford floats, with many singing out Christmas Carols; and of course Father Christmas appeared in his sleigh to accompany the children after the Parade to the party at the Scala Hall.

Here, those who had registered for the Parade were able to receive their pre-booked Christmas meal prepared into Christmas boxes by Number Eleven. Health and Safety meant that only those signing up before the event could go in, in order to comply with fire regulations and total numbers allowed into the building. Entertainment for all ages was provided, with karaoke, balloons and Father Christmas's presence enjoyed by the young party goers, whilst many adults were able to retire upstairs for mulled wine and mince pies.

Some of the local traders remained open during the Parade to keep the late night shopping alive. This also added to the lighting in the streets for the Parade and encouraged those who needed to pick up a few extras, whilst the free parking organised for shoppers on the day also supported those that had floats and materials to bring in for the parade. On the night, help from all the marshals was greatly appreciated, as was Torbay Council's supply of vests for the marshals and collection boxes for the Parade, with all monies collected going towards supporting next year's Pride in Brixham events. Equally, the all-important insurance cover for the event was gratefully received from the Chamber of Trade.

The Christmas Parade truly was a unique event and Terry, one of the Brixham Buccaneers said of the Parade, ‘It was very enjoyable, it's the largest in recent history for floats and participants with a good and enthusiastic public attendance'.

Chris, another parade entrant summed it up with these comments:

‘I am sure that the Christmas Parade 2007 helped to put that Christmas buzz into the hearts of all those who took part and watched'.

Christmas is a time of celebration, when we remember the birth of Jesus, encapsulated on one banner which read ‘Jesus the Real Star of Christmas'. With two nativities represented in the parade we were reminded of that. I'm not sure if there would be any room in the Inn but there was certainly room in many hearts for the children who took part (and the two beautifully behaved donkeys).

But there was much more to see, thanks to all the wonderful people of Brixham and the surrounding areas who gave of their efforts and time to make this such a special parade.

It's at times like these that I love being part of this fishing community. It's like being part of a huge family where everyone plays their special part.

The hours of preparation and care that went into making the parade a success are mainly because of the commitment of Mary Thompson and her merry band of helpers.

I want to thank each of you on behalf of the people of Brixham for your amazing efforts. It could have been so easy to cancel when the rain lashed and the wind blew during the morning. Many prayers were answered when we got a window of fine weather for the parade, a window which lasted until we reached the central car park where everyone disbanded and headed for a party in the Scala Hall. This truly marked the beginning of what I hope will be a wonderful Christmas for all.