NEWTON Abbot was in party mood on Saturday evening when the town's Christmas lights were switched on by a jolly looking chap from the far north.

Helping him were mayor Cllr Louise Cooke and carnival queen Louisa Pengilly.

Earlier in the day, fine weather had meant plenty of people turning out to enjoy live music and entertainment as well as demonstrations by Pennywell Farm and Devon Birds of Prey.

'We had a fantastic event this year with more people than I have ever seen gathering at the clock tower to witness the switch-on,' said town development manager Sally Henley.

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