Biggest crowds as Whaley Bridge lantern parade lit up the dark

The annual parade took place on Saturday November, 26 before the switch on of the town’s Christmas lights.

Jaine Wright, the secretary of the Friends of Memorial Park, organised the lantern parade through Whaley Bridge’s Memorial Park.

She said: “We had more than 300 people come and take part which is amazing and made it our most popular event ever.”

This year everyone made star lanterns for the procession which was led by Churches Together Whaley Bridge.

Jaine said: “The churches made a Mary on a donkey lantern and had a big Joseph puppet too as well as a big star lantern.

“And everyone followed the star through the park with their smaller lanterns and it was just magical.”

And as well as the lanterns there was also fairy lights in some of the trees and some projections too.

Residents had been attending lantern making workshops in the weeks running up to the lantern festival.

Jaine said: “When the lanterns are made they are wet so it’s brilliant when the little ones come over and show you how they have decorated their lanterns at home.

“I think people like the parade because it’s a nice family activity to do together and a chance to come out and see the park all lit up in the dark.

“The dry weather helped with numbers at the weekend and it was great to have so many people come out and join in with the event.”

She also thinks it was more popular than previous years because there was no lantern parade in New Mills this year.

Jaine said: “What New Mills put on is spectacular and attracts thousands of people and I know with it not being on it has been missed.

“We will never be able to put on an event of that scale but that’s okay. We put on something small but it is still magical.

“I love seeing everyone’s smiling faces on the evening it makes all the weeks of preparation worth it.”

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