Held on 26 November, it started at 11am and from 4pm and into the evening Christmas carols were sung on Kinson Green.

Visitors enjoyed Christmas shopping amongst the wide range of traders there on the day. There was facepainting, a free Santa’s grotto, and elves from Little Gizmos to provide entertainment for the children, along with gingerbread decorating hosted by St Andrews church and a wreath-making workshop run by Poppies Florist.

Live entertainment on stage included Soundwaves Community Choir, Wavelength A Cappella and The Amethyst Singers followed by magical entertainment from The Big Foolini. On the Green in the evening, the festivities continued with a carol service led by St Andrew’s church and supported by singers from the Wessex Chorus.

Bob Wright, chair of the BH10/11 Business Association who organised the fair supported by Stir! Events said: “The best thing about working in the community is that everyone joins in, and the atmosphere is lovely. We work closely with BCP Council who manage the community centre and also the local Bournemouth North Rotary Club. It’s also the support from the local businesses that makes the difference – big thanks go to Corbin & Co Estate Agent, Tesco in the Community, Ellie’s Doll Workshop, Printing Emporium, Friends of Kinson Community Centre, George Scott Funeral Services plus many more. The event ended with a lovely choir service – it was in the rain but still lovely.”

Mandy Polkey, Stir! Events said: “This is the third event we have helped manage this year in Kinson and we very much enjoy working with this switched-on community. The Christmas Fair was a beautiful traditional event with lots of fun and entertainment thrown in for good measure. It’s ‘May Day’ next in Kinson so watch out for further details on this.”

The Kinson Christmas Fair was organised by the BH10/11 Business Association with support from Stir! Events. Check out https://www.eventsbystir.co.uk/ for information on future events.