THOUSANDS gathered in front of Warminster's St Lawrence Chapel to enjoy a traditional Christmas evening as the town was illuminated on Saturday.

After a lantern parade set off from the Civic Centre, people congregated outside the chapel where the curtain of knitted poppies which was installed for Remembrance Day remains, providing a stunning backdrop for the ceremony.

The job of turning on the lights was left to Finn Martin, four, who is currently in remission of cancer, and his nine-year-old brother Archie, who both attend Minster Primary School.

Mum Debbie said: “It was an absolutely brilliant evening, a lot of thought had clearly been put into it this year.

“For that reason I thought it was far better than last year and the thousands of people who came along to watch seemed to enjoy it too.

“Archie and Finn had a few nerves beforehand when they saw how many people were there but they absolutely loved the experience and now feel like celebrities going into school.

“As well as creating as many memories as possible for Finn, we are also doing these events to raise awareness of leukaemia – luckily we caught his early because we took him to see a doctor as soon as he became ill.”

Stages were built outside the chapel for Warminster Brass Band and local choirs to perform on while the Civic Centre played host to a festive market in the daytime.

Warminster Community Radio director and event co-organiser Barry Mole was happy with how the evening went.

He said: “Warminster’s lights switch on ceremony is always extremely good and appreciated throughout the county.

“The idea this year was to create a snow globe effect and that’s exactly what was achieved so we’re delighted.

“To hear thousands of people singing along to carols was glorious and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

“I have a feeling next year’s ceremony will be similar but I have a few subtle changes up my sleeve to make it even better.”