Grantham St Wulfram's hoping to spread Christmas cheer with Advent Window Project despite many event cancellations
St Wulfram's Church is planning something a little different that will continue to spread Christmas cheer, despite coronavirus cancellations.
Laura Cradduck is planning to run an Advent Calendar Window project this December in and around Grantham, which will involve businesses decorating a window, possibly with a specific theme.
On each day of advent, at least one more window will be lit up, with potential for walking tours so that people can enjoy all of the unique window decorations around the town.
The idea is one that Laura has held for a while, with the inspiration coming from hers and Father Stuart Cradduck's former community in Chichester, where a similar concept was adopted.
However, due to their usual commitments to regular events such as the Grantham Beer Festival and Christmas Tree Festival, they have been unable to put the idea into practice until now.
With both events on hold, as well as the cancellation of Christmas on the Green and the switching on of Grantham lights, the Advent Window Project could be a way to spread Christmas cheer around the town in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is also hoped that the project will increase footfall in the town centre over what promises to be a difficult Christmas period for local businesses. A representative of Grantham Business Club has called the Advent Window Project "a brilliant idea" and something that will be "really worthwhile".
Laura said: "[The Advent window festival] is something that we’ve thought about doing for a few years actually.
"Our local neighbourhood in Chichester where we came from before did it and it was a really lovely community thing to do and we haven’t really had the right opportunity to do it because we’d always be quite busy with the Christmas Tree Festival and the Beer Festival and things like that.
"As the Beer Festival and the Christmas Tree Festival are on hold for this year , we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make it happen.
"The idea is that Grantham town-centre businesses give over a window to create an Advent Window that will be lit at dusk and through the evening throughout Advent, creating a huge live Advent Calendar.
"As we work our way through December a new window will be lit each night so that we have 24 windows decorated and lit by the time we get to Christmas Eve.
"This will create an evening ‘walking tour’ of our town-centre, building over the weeks up to Christmas Day. This would not need to be your main shop/business window but could be a window on an upper storey - encouraging people to look up and see a different perspective of Grantham."
“We need 24 minimum, but we can have as many windows as people are happy to contribute. If people want to get in touch, we’d happily do as many windows as possible."
Susan Swinburn, secretary of the Grantham Business Club, is a big fan of the idea and sees it only as a positive for local businesses.
She said: “I think anything at all that gets people to come into the town and do some shopping to support our local businesses who, let’s face it, have tried really hard to make their services safe and accessible at this time.
“I think anything at all that we can do to support our local businesses is going to be really worthwhile.
"As a town, we must support it. They’ve gone above and beyond making their services accessible where they can and so supporting them at this time is really important, especially at Christmas.
"Let’s spread some love. We’re a community. I think it’s a brilliant idea."
As well as the Advent Window Project, SKDC has confirmed that there will be a normal market in Grantham on Saturday, December 5, which is expected to be supplemented with Christmas market stalls.
There will also still be Christmas lights in Grantham but there will not be a major switch-on event. An SKDC spokesman said this is subject to change due to Covid.
Any festivities will be in the Market Place area, not on St Peter's Hill, which is where Christmas on the Green – organised by the Grantham Carnival and Events Group – usually takes place.
Last year's event to celebrate the start of the Christmas period involved a plethora of Yuletide attractions, including fairground rides and street entertainment to stalls and refreshments.
Christmas on the Green 2019 featured a winter wonderland, Santa’s grotto and live music, capped off with the usual fireworks display in the evening from atop the Guildhall.
Roy Wright, chairman of the Grantham Carnival and Events Group, said: "It's difficult to take in, but there will be no fun day, no fireworks and no switch on of the Christmas lights this year.
"We would by now, together with SKDC, be well into the organising stage for the day. I am disappointed for the children, as well as everybody else who enjoyed the day.
"Certainly the Grantham Carnival and Events Group is deeply upset.
"We must however accept the reason for the decision and hope that we will soon be back organising community events.
"We wish everybody a safe, happy Christmas and virus-free New Year."