IT was a day of magic and mistletoe madness in Tenbury.

One of the biggest days of the year for shops in the town saw a hive of different activities coming together in a space of just a few hours.

The main event was the Mistletoe Festival Day that started early with events in pubs in the town, the library and at the pump rooms.

Activities also took to the streets with shoppers being greeted by people dressed in different costumes.

There was also a special bazaar at St Mary’s Church to raise funds for the Christmas Hamper Relief Fund and also to raise awareness of the important work of the food bank in the town.

This regularly provides vital food to more than 30 individuals and families in and around the town that otherwise face the prospect of going hungry.

It also every year provides Christmas Hampers for the needy including elderly people, those that will be alone and families for whom Christmas Day like every day is lived on a shoe string.

As darkness started to descend the annual ritual of the crowning of the Holy Queen – a part as tradition demands – undertaken by the head girl at Tenbury High School.

Her crowning was the headline event at the Pump Rooms.

After this the attention went back to the town centre for the magic of the Santa Parade that brings the thrill of Christmas to children of all ages.

Santa accompanied by seasonal lights and an army of well-wishers made his way through the town to St Mary’s Church.

As an added bonus for traders the Mistletoe Festival and Santa Parade coincided this year with ‘Small Business Saturday’ that is a national campaign to encourage people to use the five million independent small businesses that play such an important part in the local and national economy.