Northumberland seaside village has 'great' turn out as Santa arrives by lifeboat for Christmas light switch-on

A Northumberland seaside village says that there was a great turnout for the switch-on of its Christmas lights.

Santa arrived by lifeboat to assist a lucky local schoolboy whose name had been picked out of a hat to switch on the Seahouses Christmas Lights. And despite the chilly weather, a "couple of hundred" people turned up to see the village Christmas tree light up.

The lights were switched on by four-year-old Brody Edward Lane, who lives in nearby Bamburgh and goes to Seahouses Primary School. A brief hiccup where the lights went down shortly after being switched on was resolved quickly, and a good time was had by all - according to Seahouses Festive Light Group chair, Ian Clayton.

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Ian told ChronicleLive: "It surprised us because it was such a cold night, but so many people turned out, particularly with kids. It was quite well supported so we were relieved!"

Luckily, Seahouses had good weather for the switch on, though snow fell on Friday and Saturday. However, Storm Bert's effects were minimal, and by mid-afternoon on Saturday, the sun was out and all snow and ice had melted.

Now, residents are looking forward to the New Years' Eve fireworks display. Last year, hundreds of visitors and residents alike turned up for the event, packing out the harbour, with cash raised on the night going towards this year's festive events.

Organisers are once again keeping their fingers crossed for good weather. Ian added: "Because it takes place on the harbour itself, a strong wind blowing any residue over the village itself rather than out to sea would put all the observers at risk.

"So we're just hoping the weather is kind to us like it was for the lights switch-on!"