PRACTICALLY the entire village of Mylor Bridge turned out last night for the annual switching on of the Christmas lights.

Father Christmas made an appearance outside Mylor Newsagents and gave out sweets to the local children before parading down to the Lemon Arms car park as the lights themselves were switched on.

Following thank yous from the chair of the Mylor lights committee Terry Chapman, the honour of switching on the lights on the huge Christmas tree donated by the Enys estate was given to Sarita Perkins, who was the driving force behind the restoration of the Tremayne Hall a decade ago.

Sarita also set up the over 60s lunch club in the new community centre and this is still going strong today. With the help of her team, she has also hosted several parties in the village, including celebrations of the Queen's jubilee and her 90th birthday.

Sarita was asked to switch on the lights in recognition of years of selfless and successful commitment to village life.

The switch on was followed by community carols around the tree before people retired to the Tremayne Hall for refreshments and the grand draw.