Great time in the snow

Published: 7 January, 2011

• IT was great to see so many people out the Saturday before Christmas at Highbury Barn, singing carols and celebrating the festive season. There were children from local schools and the choir from St Joan of Arc, who brought along a wonderful brass band.

The Highbury Barn pub laid on mince pies and mulled wine, with other shopkeepers like Frank Godreys providing food for those who braved the snow. It was a great evening. Congratulations to all those involved.

And all this with no thanks to the council and Labour councillor Paul Smith, who tried to hijack this wonderful event but “cocked it up”. 

Previously, we have held this event at the same time as the  Christmas lights switch-on, but not this year. The council said it would do it, and gave the community its marching orders.

So what did we get? Two men and a dog turning up for the switch-on, and they were council staff. A confused mayor, who didn’t seem to know why she was there, and a smug Cllr Smith, who managed to miss the lights being switched on because his group were in the pub.

The carol service shows what the community can do. We don’t need the council, so in future let us get on with it. And stop trying to control everything.

Highbury’s Not the Christmas Lights Switch-on was a great success – with no thanks to Cllr Smith.

GABRIELLE MANN
Highbury Grange, N5