THOUSANDS are expected to pack in to Trowbridge town centre to see this year's Christmas lights switched on next week.

Trowbridge will roll back the years, celebrating the start of the run-up to the festive season in Victorian style, with themed stalls and attractions.

The fun starts on Friday night when the highlight will be the switch-on at 6.30pm.

Town mayor Angela Milroy will be joined by St John's Primary School pupil Thomas Carpenter and his sister Rachel to light up the town.

Thomas, 11, of Chepston Place, was chosen in a competition run by the Wiltshire Times to be a VIP for the night.

The fun will start around 5.45pm when children from Newtown Primary School will entertain the crowds with old-time music hall songs from a special stage that will go up outside the town hall.

The town's celebrations will be broadcast live on Wiltshire Sound from 6.20pm, with the excitement reaching a peak at 6.30pm when Mrs Milroy, Thomas and his sister Rachel will flick the switch to light up the town.

Trowbridge and District Youth Band will help shoppers get into the festive spirit playing Christmas carols after the lights go on.

Other special guests will be Pudsey Bear, Melksham's Mr Christmas Andy Parks, and Father Christmas.

This year's display has been boosted by a new string of lights donated by the Wiltshire Times which will be helping to light up Silver Street. The display will also take in Fore Street, Church Walk, Castle Street, Roundstone Street, and Church Street as far as Duke Street.

Town development manager Daryl Saville Brown said: "It will be a great evening, and we are expecting the town to be packed.

"There will be something for all the family and we would encourage people to come down and join in the fun."

Traffic will be diverted away from the town centre and Silver Street and Fore Street will be closed to traffic on Friday between 2pm and 10pm.

The bus stop will be moved temporarily to outside the toy shop in Castle Street, and the taxi rank to just past the entrance to The Shires mall in Castle Street.

The fun continues on Saturday when Fore Street will be turned into a Victorian themed market, with stall holders swapping their jeans for Victorian costumes for the day.