Johnstone gets ready for Christmas

Johnstone’s Houstoun Square was a winter wonderland on Saturday afternoon as residents filled the snowy square to see the Christmas lights switched on in the town.

Volunteers and staff from St Vincent’s Hospice were on site raising money for the local charity

Local acts and DJs from Johnstone Sound kept the crowds entertained from the square’s bandstand, and the funfair offered a series of thrills for those young and young at heart.

Santa was in his grotto to meet all the children from Johnstone

There was fun for all the family with the St Vincent’s Hospice Christmas market, face painting and glitter tattoos, street entertainers and a giant snow globe – perfect for capturing those special family memories.

Families turned out to enjoy the festive celebration

It wouldn’t be Christmas without an appearance from Santa, who was in his grotto to find out what the children of Johnstone are hoping to find in their stockings this year.

Santa was in his grotto to meet all the children from Johnstone

At 5pm Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron was joined by competition winner, Amelia from Houston Primary School, to push the button and light up Johnstone.

Local businesses had stalls at the St Vincent’s Christmas Market

She said: “It was great to see so many people come along and enjoy the celebration in Johnstone this year. The snowy square really added to the festive cheer and helped get everyone in the holiday spirit.

Local businesses had stalls at the St Vincent’s Christmas Market

“Switching on the Christmas lights is a very important job and I’m always glad to have some help. This year I was joined by Amelia and I hope she had a lovely day out with her family.”

Local acts performed live in the bandstand

There’s still plenty of festive cheer in Renfrewshire with a month-long Christmas celebration running in Paisley until Saturday 30 December.

Street entertainers spread festive cheer across the afternoon

For more information on Paisley’s Christmas visit www.paisley.is

The giant snow globe provided an opportunity to capture those special memories

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