On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of going down to see the launch of Crawley Town Centre’s Christmas celebrations, where I joined the Mayor and several other Labour councillors in enjoying a host of entertainment, music, carol singing and Father Christmas as we waited for the big countdown and the switching on of the lights on the Christmas tree.
We have gone to some extra expense this year as a council to ensure that the Town Centre looks better than ever and I must say I thought Queens Square looked splendid, decked out as it was, with lights in all of the trees going down the avenue through the Queensway and the Martlets looking great too. It was, as always, a huge pleasure to see all of the families enjoying themselves at the launch.
The feel good factor was certainly high this weekend, even if the weather was cold!
This year, in a new position on the Pavilions building, I thought the Crawley sign, lit up in lights, is spectacular and well worth a look. Labour councillors had a great time and the mood was very good indeed.
It was great to be there with Father Christmas, assisted as is customary by our Mayor of Crawley Sharmila Sivarajah, giving the countdown for the lights going on.
Despite some of the more negative comments one reads on social media, we still have a great town centre where you can get all the Christmas shopping done, you don’t need Amazon. Buy locally and support our shops and businesses, big and small.
County Mall is buzzing, new shops like Sostrene Grene have opened. There’s some great places all around town, old and new, to get food and drink and enjoy ourselves this festive period.
But that’s not all for the Town Centre! From 9 to 23 December, Queens Square will host a brand-new Christmas Fayre, bringing festive spirit to the heart of Crawley, the fayre will feature stalls offering street food, arts and crafts, and unique festive gifts.
And Solstice, a free laser and music show, will take place at County Mall (Unit 79/80) on 13 and 14 December – all absolutely free of charge.
We know there are challenges for the Town Centre as retail experiences change, but we are alive to the issues, in the New Year much more will be coming forward to ensure it remains fit for the future but in the meantime let’s value this precious season of goodwill.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council