Pomegranate Theatre and Paul Holman Associates have announced that popular Children’s TV Presenter Naomi Wilkinson will star in this year’s spectacular family pantomime in the title role of Cinderella from Saturday 1^st December 2018 to Sunday 6^th January 2019.

Starting her career as a Butlin’s Redcoat, Naomi soon made a splash as the effervescent host of Channel 5’s Milkshake! which she presented for 10 years. She has been a constant and well-loved face on UK TV screens ever since, notably as the presenter of Marrying Mum & Dad, Countryfile, Finger Tips and Live ’n’ Deadly with Steve Backshall among many others.

Naomi quickly established herself as a Children’s TV favourite, well-loved by children and parents alike for her bubbly, energetic persona and daredevil attitude. She found herself travelling the globe in her own show, Naomi’s Nightmares of Nature, now in its 4^th series, in which audiences see her conquer her fears and face extreme challenges including sky diving, swimming with sharks without a cage and coming nose to nose underwater with a 4.8m crocodile in Australia. She was nominated for a prestigious Children’s BAFTA as Best Presenter for her work on the hit show.

Pantomime Producer Paul Holman said: “I’m delighted to have secured Naomi to play Cinderella. Not only will she be adored by audiences of all ages but, as an experienced pantomime performer, she will bring magic to Chesterfield this Christmas’.

Cinderella, also starring Rhydian Roberts (X Factor) as Prince Charming, promises to be Chesterfield’s most enchanting pantomime yet with good old-fashioned family fun and plenty of audience interaction plus sensational special effects, breath-taking costumes and scenery and an exciting line-up of stars ready to whisk audiences off to the ball.

Cinderella runs at Pomegranate Theatre from Saturday 1^st December 2018 to Sunday 6^th January 2019.

Chesterfield is set to be bathed in Christmas glow yet again with the annual Christmas lights switch-on event.

The event takes place on Sunday 19 November with a special market taking place from noon offering entertainment, stalls, games and rides in the market place and New Square.

Youngsters can also meet one of their favourite characters as Chase from Paw Patrol makes appearances outside the Visitor Information Centre in Rykneld Square, outside the Crooked Spire church at noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

The stage show gets underway in New Square at 3.30pm with Peak FM presenters Cat and Ricky taking to the stage offering opportunities for the audience to join in the fun.

Stars from the Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan, this year’s pantomime at the Pomegranate Theatre, will perform on stage and will perform the switch on at 4.45pm with Chesterfield’s mayor and Chase from Paw Patrol.

Councillor Steve Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said:-

“Each year thousands of people come along to take part in Chesterfield’s Christmas lights event. It is a great opportunity for families to come together and get into the Christmas spirit.

“We organise the event as part of our commitment to make Chesterfield a thriving borough and to improve the quality of life for local people.”

Chesterfield residents can use their free parking disc to park for free in the following Chesterfield Borough Council off-street pay and display car parks:

• Albion Road
• Derbyshire Times
• Devonshire Street
• Durrant Road
• Hollis Lane (excluding on-street bays)
• Holywell Cross (The Donut)
• Queens Park (North and South)
• Spa Lane
• Station Road
• St Mary’s Gate
• Theatre Lane.

Free coach parking is available by arrangement with Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre.  For more information telephone 01246 345777/8.

There’s a full programme of entertainment for Christmas in Chesterfield from traditional markets to stand up comedy. Find out more about Christmas in Chesterfield here.

Over a thousand Santas will be spotted in Chesterfield’s Queen’s Park on Christmas Eve.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Santa Fun Run in the town, a similar event will be staged this year to raise funds for a trio of charitable organisations.

The aim of the CBD Training Ltd Chesterfield Santa Fun Run & Walk is to raise over £10,000, which will be split equally between Ashgate Hospicecare, Weston Park Cancer Charity and retreat@Royal for the Mayor’s Appeal.

Organiser John Cannon, who is an avid runner and member of North Derbyshire Running Club, said: “We raised over £4,000 last year and the target is to more than double that and raise a five-figure sum. As well as raising valuable funds, we want to make it a fun day for all the family.”

Speaking at the launch, which was held at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium, John added: “We have worked closely with the Chesterfield FC Community Trust and they are helping to raise awareness of the event. For the game against Barnet on Saturday, December 9, we want to fill the North Stand with people who have entered the event dressed in Santa suits!”

There will be a 5k family fun run or walk, which is sponsored by CBD Training Ltd, together with a 1500m kids fun run or walk sponsored by Unit 1 Fitness and Martial Arts. There is no age restriction and participants over 100 years old are guaranteed free entry!

The 5k event will be started by the Mayor of Chesterfield at 9.30am from the cricket pavilion, with the 1500m event starting at 10.30am.

Entry fees, which include a Santa suit to keep, together with a goodie bag and a medal, are as follows:

£12 for adults (fun run or 1500m)

£7 for children aged 11 to 15 years (fun run or 1500m)

£5 for children from 0 up to the age of 10 years (1500m)

Entries can be made online from Monday, October 9, via: www.northderbyshirerc.jimdo.com.

Spectators on the day will listen to Christmas carols played by The Ashover Band and there will be mulled wine on offer and festive stalls to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

In addition to the main sponsors, CBD Training LTD and Unit 1 Fitness and Martial Arts, the following organisations are also kindly supporting the event: Chesterfield Borough Council, Queen’s Park Leisure Centre, Chesterfield FC Community Trust, North Derbyshire Running Club, The Unique Network, Elastic FM, Fredericks Ice Cream, The MOT Centre, Siddalls Roofing, Mercol Engineering and Banner Jones Solicitors.

Further information about the event is available via www.northderbyshirerc.jimdo.com. On Facebook, search for ‘Santa Fun Run – Chesterfield’ for the latest updates.

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The Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future will all visit Chatsworth this year as the festive season is given a Victorian gothic twist with ‘Oh Dickens! It’s Christmas’, a celebration of Charles Dickens’ best loved works.

Actors playing Scrooge, Fagin, Miss Havisham and others from Dickens’ rich cast of characters will bring the theme to life, along with room guides in period costume, as they roam around in the fog and gaslight of Chatsworth’s grand rooms. Visitors of all ages can join in the fun by choosing from dozens of character costumes ready to try on and made by Chatsworth’s textile team.

Rooms throughout the house feature period sets that evoke both the splendour and squalor of Dickensian London – as well as the London docks and Victorian shop fronts, specific scenes from the books, such as Scrooge’s bed, have been recreated in detail. Thousands of traditional and lavish seasonal decorations and hundreds of metres of ribbon will dress the celebrated Painted Hall, Oak Room, Chapel, State Dining Room and Sculpture Gallery, which will also contain 25 real trees, two of which stand more than seven metres tall.

This enchanting interpretation of books such as A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop and A Tale of Two Cities will feature large-scale illustrations, wall murals, sound and light effects, projections and props. Artists such as the paper sculptor Su Blackwell are working with Chatsworth to help recreate the Christmas spirit that Dickens sought to highlight in the gathering together of families and the enjoyment of food, drink, dancing and games.

Displays will also include related items from Chatsworth’s own collections, such as letters from Dickens himself to the 6th Duke of Devonshire; first editions of books including Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities; and letters from Duchess Georgiana to her mother from Paris during the uprising referenced in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.

Christmas at Chatsworth spreads beyond the house to include events in the garden and farmyard such as the hugely popular Christmas market (17 Nov – 5 Dec); wreath making classes; an evening pea and pie supper and a nativity play in the farmyard starring the farm animals.

More than fifty costumes have been made by Chatsworth’s textiles team while in-house joiners are helping build the elaborate sets, dressed with individual props and decorations made by staff from across estate.

Planning for the two-month Christmas season at Chatsworth starts the previous year and involves nearly everybody, including the Duke and Duchess, in generating ideas, developing themes, creating costumes and sets and getting everything in place for the opening day.

Chatsworth’s Christmas season will run from 11 November 2017 to 7 January 2018. The house and garden will be open every day from 11am-5.30pm (10am opening at weekends) except 24, 25, 26 December and 1 January. The farmyard and playground will also be open from 10.30am to 5.30pm. Chatsworth will be using timed entry ticketing during the Christmas season to improve the visitor experience and prevent overcrowding at peak times.