Ingatestone and Fryerning Victorian Evening takes place on 5th December. Read on to to find out more about this magical event.

There is no escaping it, Christmas is coming, but with all the build up to Christmas comes the magic of the many festive events up and down the county. One of particular note is the Ingatestone and Fryerning Victorian Evening, which in 2014 takes place on Friday, December 5 from 6pm.

The Victorian Evening has been part of Ingatestone’s heritage for many years. It’s a night when all the villagers can come together and have a fun evening and pick up some bargains for Christmas at the same time.

Unfortunately, the event was under threat at one point earlier this year as the organisers in previous years, Ingatestone Parish Council, were unable to run the event in 2014. Thankfully help was on hand from The Ingatestone and Fryerning Business Club, whose members rallied business owners, residents, local groups and clergy to put together a plan and make the evening a success for 2014.

Martin Reynolds, chairman of The Ingatestone and Fryerning Business Club, explains: ‘This night is too important an event for the community of Ingatestone and Fryerning to lose. Not only does it bring much-needed business to the area, but it is a chance for the village to have a community-wide celebration together. Too many village events have disappeared over the years; we couldn’t let this one go.’

By popular demand, the theme of the evening will focus on the joys of Victorian England at Christmas time. The night will start off with a procession, with helpers and children riding in a horse-drawn carriage. The town crier will head up the rest of the procession which we hope will include Scottish pipers, Morris men and local school children.

The local drama club will be putting on a show around the village featuring extracts from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and visitors can also expect to hear live music courtesy of a local jazz band. There will also be many street stalls from local groups and charities as well as the shopkeepers and Innkeepers getting dressed up in Victorian costumes.

‘The parish council has agreed to pay for the road closure during the evening,’ adds Martin. ‘This is a great help to us as this is our first year running the event and we have little money to invest. We aim to raise funds throughout the course of next year so we can make this a bigger and better village event in the future.

5,000 programmes will be given away on the night, sharing details of the event and showing visitors where and when things are on. Advertising opportunities are available in the programme as well as on a new website the organisers are producing to provide more information about the event.

Vice chair of The Ingatestone and Fryerning Business Club and owner of Bekki Lou’s sweetshop, Danny Stevens, adds: ‘This is a great circulation figure but more importantly shows that our local businesses support their community.’

You can find out more details about the Ingatestone and Fryerning Victorian Evening at the new website that is soon to be launched. Visit www.victorianevening.co.uk