A GRANT from the Arts Council has taken the Mistletoe Festival in Tenbury a step nearer to its objective of becoming a national event.

The grant of £7,000 is in order to commission three specific pieces of work for the festival this year.

But even more importantly it marks important recognition of the efforts of Caroline Palethorpe and the organisations to make the annual festival an event of national importance.

It is intended that the event this year will be the biggest so far and will run from the end of November into the Christmas period with a full programme of activities.

The climax will be on Saturday December 6 with the re-enactment of one of the football matches that was reported to have taken place on the front line between German and British soldiers on the first Christmas of the First World War.

This is a special piece that has been written for the event and will include an audience of up to 250 people some of whom will be dressed in the costume of the period including students from Tenbury High School.

It is being staged by the Beingfrank physical theatre and will take place in the TSB car park.

After the match and as it gets dark at about 4.30pm the Tenbury Chamber of Trade's Santa Parade will begin its colourful procession from the auction yard site to St Mary’s Church.

The day’s activities will begin at 10.30am when the Mistletoe Queen and her entourage will be in town greeting people and handing out sprigs of Mistletoe.

There will be a Winter Gardener’s Fair at the Pavilion on The Burgage and a Christmas Fair at the Kings Head in Cross Street.

Musicians from Tenbury High School will play throughout the day in front of The Regal.

Other street theatre will take place in pubs and in open spaces throughout the town and the day will end with a night of music and stories at The Kings Head.

The festival starts on Friday November 21 with the switch on of the Tenbury Christmas lights at 4.30pm. This is a very important day for the town’s traders as it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Traders are hoping that the Mistletoe Festival will bring people into the town who will spend money in the shops.

On Friday November 29, ‘Dark Tales from India’ will be performed at The Pump Rooms with the annual Druids Ceremony at the Burgage the following afternoon (Saturday, November 29).

On the Saturday evening there will be The Mistletoe Music Showcase at The Regal featuring ‘The Misers’ and local bands Outlaw, HOP and Working Progress.

There will be a Jazz and Tapas evening at St Michael’s College on Friday December 5 and the college will also host a Carol Celebration between 3pm and 4pm the following Tuesday (December 9).

The Mistletoe Auctions will be held at a new venue Burford Garden Store on the final Tuesday in November and the first two Tuesdays in December (November 25 and December 2 and 9).