Parade to light up dark winter night
More than 50 lanterns were made in workshops in preparation for a Christmas lantern walk through Southwell today.
Workshops took place at the Old Court House on Saturday to make individual lanterns to be carried in the parade.
On Sunday, families attended a workshop to make two large lanterns that will lead the procession.
The theme for the event is frost and fire.
Six families worked together to create the large lanterns that depict a phoenix and a fish jumping from frosty water.
Southwell Town Council’s events and tourism manager, Mrs Honor Dunkley, said many families had been attending lantern-making workshops since the event was first held five years ago.
She said: “The lantern maker has come for quite a few years now and there are families who have come to the workshops each year who were ready to move on to the next level and learn new lantern making skills. They had a chance to do that this year by coming to make the large lanterns.
“The phoenix and the fish lanterns are amazing. They are really big.”
Mrs Dunkley said she was pleased with the number of people at the workshops.
She said: “I was a bit worried that people may not be able to make it because of the snow but we were full at all the sessions.
“People did really well when thinking about the fire and frost theme and we had lanterns including a dragon and lots of frosty shapes.”
The large lanterns will be assembled in Southwell Minster on Saturday before leaving the cathedral through the west doors and making their way to the front of the parade.
Fire jugglers will be in the minster grounds to entertain those taking part.
The parade will leave the minster and make its way through War Memorial Recreation Ground, where there will be a display of lit teepees made by community groups, to The Minster School.
At The Minster School there will be carols by Newark and Sherwood Concert Band and refreshments.
Mrs Dunkley said the lantern parade was getting more popular each year.
She said: “It’s very exciting. It should be very spectacular to see because we must have had 50 individual lanterns made in our workshop and everybody has got the ones they have made in previous years so there will be a lot of lanterns.
“It is going to be the biggest lantern festival yet.
“It’s great to have been able to get the community involved in the project.”
Entertainment will begin in the grounds of the minster at 4pm and the parade will leave at 4.30pm.