Warlingham Christmas Lights On-line New Normal
Warlingham Christmas Lights will be pulling out all the stops to make this Covid Christmas as special as possible for Warlingham residents and visitors to The Green.While the always spectacular Switch On Event cannot take place, there will be a Virtual Switch On, broadcast on line, incorporating as many elements of the traditional night as possible. Further information will be announced nearer the time.

The Virtual Switch On will be broadcast publicly over numerous local Facebook Pages, Groups and YouTube. The Lights display itself will be enhanced with new and replacement lights around The Green and additional lights in some trees.
The traditional format has been cancelled to avoid the kind of crowds that make social distancing impossible, the time and day of the actual switch on will be kept confidential, to ensure no one will be tempted to sneak up to The Green to watch.

As there will be no fundraising on the evening, this will obviously cut the Christmas Lights’ income to zero, so a GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone who would like to contribute. Go to https://gofundme.com/f/warlingham-christmas-lights-2020

Says Lights’ chairman Robin Bloore: “It’s been a really hard decision to cancel the traditional event, and we explored all sorts of ideas to avoid it, but I am afraid we are the victims of our own success.
“Every year the crowd gets larger, with people from all over Warlingham and all the surrounding towns and villages. We normally have markets in all the halls, major nights in the pubs, special offerings from the shops, a barbecue and children’s rides, so with the children’s lantern parade, Santa Claus, Christmas songs and other attractions, people are shoulder to shoulder in many parts of the village centre, especially at the moment of the actual Switch On.

“With current Government guidance, it would clearly be impossible to hold such an event. Our prime concern is keeping people safe. However, we were determined not to leave the village without any official start to the festive season, so we are going to make Warlingham as sparkly as we can.” If you are not on Facebook and would like notification of when the broadcast will go up on YouTube, email jeremy@enterpress.co.uk.