In the words of our Mayor at the Ilfarcombe Lighting of the Lights 2025
Happy Christmas Ilfracombe!
I want to start off by saying thank you for joining us at Combe Christmas – Lighting of the Lights 2025. It’s wonderful to see our community come together to kick off the festive season in style. To see the sheer size of this crowd is incredible! Well done!
I only have a small amount of time to speak and a couple of things to cover, so I’ll get on with it, I would like to start by saying a few words about David Tubby – a name many of you will know very well. It’s fair to say that David loved Christmas and both he and his family were huge benefactors of this event. They bought and gave the sleigh to Compass and donated funds to keep our event going.
David was also Ilfracombe’s Santa for many years. Sadly, David passed away last year and his presence has been missed ever since. Please join me in thanking David and the Tubby family for all they have done over the years. (Cheers from the crowd) Next up we have the results for best Christmas display competition that Joel from William Pearce has set up and sponsored this year. Thank you to everyone that entered, you all made the town a brighter festive space!
This year’s competition went beyond the High Street, down Fore Street to the Harbour and along the seafront. There were many fabulous displays and it wasn’t an easy choice, but at the end of the day, the WINNER is Susan Day Care home!
Let’s get this party started but before we do, don’t forget to join me in the High Street after this to enjoy all the stalls, local traders and fantastic local talent. BUT most importantly, don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets. There are a lot of fabulous prizes that have been donated this year and every penny goes back in to putting this event on again next year.
Next up, we have a performance from a special guest who has been through a lot these past couple of months. Please help me in welcoming Chloe Aston to the stage!
