The Cowbridge annual Christmas parade and lighting ceremony were a great success for both the town and 4×4 Response Wales. With road closures throughout the day causing diversions and limited access to the town, there was a lot for the group to manage. However, by working in conjunction with the local police and PCSO’s the day ran smoothly.

In the morning the streets lines with people waiting for the parade. They were thankful for the assistance that we were giving with the event and had a good mood about the day ahead. It was obvious from just talking to those who lived nearby that the event meant a lot to the community. This event has run for many years and clearly has a lot of support and being able to be part of that was meaningful to all of us who helped that day. Events like these bring communities together to celebrate something together and have a day of fun and entertainment. 

The evening ran smoothly too, with further road closures coming into place we were able to direct traffic with no issues. The lighting ceremony saw special guest Santa Clause flipping the switch for the lights. Fireworks followed and were a pleasant end to a long day for both the spectators and us in the 4×4 response.  

A big thank you has to go out to those we worked with on the day, the police, PCSO’s and the local Lions for being so welcoming and willing to co-operate with us throughout the day. The communication between the groups and the willingness to work together meant that we were all able to focus on keeping everything running smoothly throughout the day without having to worry. 

A special thank you goes out to PC Stuart Elson for his organising so prior to and during the event and for communicating important information before the day begun and then with later developments throughout the event.