St. Modwen and Wantage Community Church were thrilled to welcome the Kingsgrove community and Wantage Primary Academy to kick off the Christmas Season with a festive celebration and lighting of the Kingsgrove Christmas Tree on 30th November 2022.
This was the second Christmas event on the Kingsgrove site. With the extremely successful Community Day in September, it now feels like St. Modwen are in a full swing of community events.
Residents were welcomed by Santa, as he handed out treats to children and some adults too. Mulled wine, hot chocolate and mince pies were provided by St. Modwen and handed out by volunteers from Wantage Community Church.
Paul Gander from Wantage Community Church and the main organiser of the event said:
“The Christmas event at Kingsgrove was a wonderful evening. Christmas is often a time of traditions, but I feel like we are building a new community tradition with the Kingsgrove Christmas Tree and Carols.”
Part of this new community tradition saw families and residents watch the children kick off the evening as the Wantage Primary Academy choir made their debut outing.
D Towsend from Wantage Community Church and James Hodgson, one of Kingsgrove’s resident representatives, led the readings and the choir came up again to read ‘The Night Before Christmas’.
Everyone especially enjoyed having a sing-along to the carols, with an especially strong performance of ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’
It was finally time to light the Christmas tree as the children from the Wantage Primary Academy stepped up to welcome us into the Christmas season, helped by co-organiser Anne Richardson from the Vale of White Horse District Council.
The Wantage Silver Band took over for the rest of the evening, starting with ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ as residents continued to enjoy their mulled wine and take in the Christmas cheer.
Zalman Fleischer, Residential Portfolio Manager for St. Modwen, said
“It was great to see all different members of the community come together for some festive fun. It was a beautiful evening and I really felt like the St. Modwen aim of “breathing life into places” is coming true. I can’t wait to see everyone at more events in 2023.”
Residents can take a look at the photos from the event below and see if they can spot themselves!
