THE MAYOR of Bournemouth and actress and comedian Debra Stephenson attended a Christmas lights switch on in Westbourne on Saturday afternoon.

The event began at 4pm with Christmas carols sung by Bournemouth vocal group Sound of Soul.

Crowds gathered by the Christmas trees outside the M&S Simply Food store in Westbourne ready for the switch on.

At 4.30pm, the Mayor of Bournemouth Councillor Robert Lawton gave a speech, he said: “Christmas in Westbourne is really magical with the Westbourne Christmas Festival and don’t forget there’s late night shopping and music here every Thursday night and can I wish you all hopefully a very happy Christmas and a wonderful new year coming up soon.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Councillor Lawton handed over to actress and comedian Debra Stephenson, she said: “How nice to see you all, it really is such a lovely thing isn’t it, this? The choir was absolutely fantastic, it's great to see you and it is a very special occasion and I’m glad that you’re all here to support Westbourne.”

Ms Stephenson did a number of comedic impressions of various public figures, including Liz Truss, Theresa May, Davina McCall, Ann Robinson, Lorraine Kelly and Donald Trump.

The lights on the Christmas tree were switched on with a countdown and levers pushed by Ms Stephenson and Councillor Lawton, three cheers were had for Westbourne afterwards.

Sound of Soul then continued the festivities with more singing.

Bournemouth Echo:

At the event, Debra Stephenson told the Daily Echo: “It was really nice to come out, I actually got involved in this because of one of the shopkeepers and members of the Westbourne Business Association.

“So being local, I am really happy to get behind business in Westbourne, I think Westbourne is a really nice place, a lovely little town, I love the arcade, it's got a real buzz about it actually, a bit more than it used to have when we first moved to the area.

Bournemouth Echo:

“It's lovely to be able to do things where you feel like a part of the community and I think at this event particularly, everyone was so lovely, so happy, so friendly, so up for it, even though the lights were already on, and we weren't really switching on lights, we were just there to promote Westbourne and have some fun but seeing everybody’s smiling faces really made my day.”

The light switch on marked the opening of the Westbourne Christmas Festival which takes place every Saturday in December and is being run by Westbourne Business Association in partnership with Bournemouth Coastal BID.

During the festival, there will be story-telling and live music while the shops, many of them independent, will offer a variety of wares.

Bars, pubs, cafes and coffee shops will be open to welcome the visitors who can also take advantage of late-night shopping on Thursdays.

There will also be a £100 prize draw every week, visit www.westbournechristmas.com