The first window in Stone’s giant Advent calendar will be opened on Saturday as town mayor Cllr Mike Shaw and wife Sue launch this year’s festive celebration at Stone library.
The window will be opened at 11am on Saturday 1st December and the civic leaders will be helped by pupils from Walton Priory Middle School.
This year’s theme is carols from around the world. In the build-up to this festive season 24 shops and organisations have each chosen a carol and will open their windows on a different day in December – and Stone library has picked Joy To The World.
Advent Windows is a community project between businesses, schools and local organisations and has been organised by Christ Church members David and Pam Pott for the third year running. Sixteen of this year’s windows involve partnerships between the shops and schools and other organisations in the community.
“We are absolutely delighted with how popular the project has become and that it has become part of the town’s festive celebrations,” said David. He added that six new shops and businesses were supporting the calendar this year – Stone Library, Lock Keepers hair salon, the Dezign Room hairdressers, Swan Inn pub, John Burton solicitors and Costa Coffee.
Children from local schools will help some of the shops decorate their windows, with a different one revealing their window each day at 11am until the final one is opened by Frances Mayer of the Secret Kitchen on Monday 24th December at Christ Church.
On Christmas Eve a group will tour each of the shops and businesses and sing each of the 24 carols beginning at the Swan Inn in Stafford Street at 9.30am and ending up at Christ Church. Everyone is welcome!
Click HERE for a full list of the Advent Windows this year (or have a look at the map above!). The decorated windows will remain over the Christmas period for people to view until 2nd January.
