Woodbury embraces living advent calendar
Woodbury will be aglow with a little extra Christmas sparkle this year.
Windows around the village will be illuminated with festive scenes to create a living advent calendar during the 24 days leading up to Christmas.
One new display will be revealed each evening at 6:30 from December 1 with a mix of local businesses, community hubs and individual homes taking part.
Based on an original idea from Stockholm, the Woodbury calendar has been organised by Ruth Bagwell and Emma Taggart. 
“The village is growing all the time and we thought this would be a good way to unite the community with a shared Christmas experience. It’s a bit of fun and a nice way to celebrate,” said Ruth.
“It’s an event for everyone and it’s not a competition. The windows can be secular, religious, humorous, whatever people choose to do, as long the displays are suitable for a family audience and feature their advent number,” said Emma, who designed the logo for the event.
Planning began in March and the idea has been so well received that on some evenings there will be two new window reveals.
Trail maps costing £2 each will guide people around the village to each new window. They will all remain lit until December 26.
The calendar will be raising money for FORCE Cancer Charity, where Ruth is a volunteer, and Woodbury Community Playing Fields.
You can take part by buying a trail map in Woodbury from:
- Christ Church, Parsonage Way
- Kilve Marchant Antique Shop, The Arch
- Parish Council Office, Greenside, Greenway
- Rook Pie, 1 Greenway
- St Swithun’s Church, Church Stile Lane
- The White Hart, Church Stile Lane
“We would encourage people to walk or cycle the trail, explore parts of the village they might not know and enjoy some community festive cheer,” said Ruth.
“It’s a good excuse to bump into new neighbours and friends. It’s our first year and we’re hopeful that it really will bring people together,” added Emma.
