Mike the Knight and Fireman Sam help Flitchmas start with a bang

THERE were plenty of “ooh’s” and a smattering of “aah’s” as Flitch Green’s spectacular fireworks display got the festive season started with a bang.

Hundreds of people from the community came together for the second Flitchmas on Saturday evening, with market stalls, a disco, food and fireworks keeping the winter chill at bay.

There were top performances from the children of the Flitch Green Academy and the Rumblebees Allstar Cheer and Dance Academy to get the event off to a fabulous start.

Santa’s arrival parade, featuring children’s TV heroes Mike the Knight and Fireman Sam, saw the streets leading up to the main marquee lined with families.

However, the highlight of the evening was the fireworks finale, to specially-arranged music, which saw huge crowds gathering across the village.

Cllr Chris Earle, chairman of the organising committee, described the event as “absolutely fantastic”.

“Large numbers of the community came along to join in with the festivities,” he added. “Special thanks go to ‘Team Flitchmas’ who worked long into the nights last week to rig the huge amount of infrastructure to make the event the success it was.

“As we get through Christmas and the New Year, we will be planning our community events for 2013.”