FESTIVE celebrations in a West Somerset village may have a different feel this Christmas but will remain essentially the same as a new organisation takes control.

Porlock Parish Council has stepped away from directly organising the festivities to allow performing arts group Stacked Wonky to oversee the role.

Parish councillors will continue to support the group and have increased their financial contribution for Christmas events in the village.

Council chairman Cllr Duncan McCanlis said £1,660 was being given to Stacked Wonky and up to another £500 to the village Christmas lights group.

Cllr McCanlis said the council’s long-term strategy was for Christmas to be organised independently so that traders could be encouraged to work together more closely.

He said: “It is a change, it is exciting.

“We understand our role is to support the community and an important part of that is the economy of the high street.

“We are right there in support and providing the funding.”

Stacked Wonky artistic director Sarah Shorten said although not a constituted group, Traders of Porlock (TOP) had asked her to organise the traditional late night Christmas shopping event.

Ms Shorten said: “We have events expertise, requisite public liability insurance, and are a charity.

“We wish to make it clear we are not leading, designing, or driving the event, we are simply working with fellow traders to hold the event.

“Thus, this grant request is not for a Stacked Wonky project, rather for an important annual village event.

“It is hoped to be a traditional, authentic, warm, and welcoming Christmas ‘thank you’ to locals, visitors’ and shoppers from traders and local organisations, while keeping an eye on sustainable practices.

“Critically, as traders report feeling overwhelmed, stressed, untrusting of processes, exhausted, etc, everybody agreed employing a freelance events manager to co-ordinate the event would be a good idea.

“The community has always enjoyed late night shopping, which brings together a vast number of local organisations, the school, churches, museum, council, library, traders, volunteers, etc.

“It brings vital publicity and income to those who have had a difficult year.

“It enables locals to walk to a lively, fun event during the festive season to celebrate and enjoy what the village has to offer.”

Ms Shorten said a freelance events manager would be employed to ensure smooth marketing and successful delivery of the event and who could spend valuable time with each business, trader, or organisation.

She hoped the event could be held from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm on Saturday, December 12, following on from a living Nativity’ the previous evening.

The event would again include music from West Somerset Brass, street entertainers, an outdoor Christmas karaoke or sing-along, and the traditional ‘Santa Dash’ through the village.

The Christmas lights group said it planned to buy and decorate live trees for the churchyard of St Decuman’s Church, with mains and solar powered lighting on the railings.

It would also put up wooden decorated trees in holders for the High Street with the lights staying up for three weeks from December 9.