LATE night revelry saw Porlock village centre packed with local residents and visitors on Saturday (December 14) for its annual Christmas shopping experience organised by Traders of Porlock (TOP).

It was day two of Porlock Wintertide, which started on Friday when a ‘Living Nativity’ procession wound through the streets depicting the story of the birth of Christ.

The procession left from the Dovery Manor Museum and visited a number of village public houses which had ‘no room at the inn’ before reaching a stable in the Old School Centre complete with a real donkey and ‘Baby Jesus’.

Traders decorated High Street with lights and Christmas trees for Saturday’s late night shopping with street entertainers and musicians adding to the festive atmosphere.

There were some unexpected surprises from Stacked Wonky youngsters who entertained with an accordion player and their imaginatively decorated tricycles.

Pupils of St Dubricius First School started the evening carol singing in the church porch, and the annual ‘Santa Dash’ from One Stop to the Ship Inn brought it to a conclusion with a free drink awaiting competitors courtesy of landlord Royston Connor.

Crowds outside the Castle cheered the runners on, who included the Stacked Wonky donkey, chicken tricycles, and even a giant dinosaur.

In between, children and adults alike enjoyed biscuit decorating in the Whortleberry Tea Room, face painting in Porlock Community Library, a Santa’s grotto in GTH estate agents, fire juggling, brass band and folk group musicians, and a Christmas tree festival in St Dubricius Church.

Will Rayner, of Churchgate Gallery, thanked everybody on the evening and said: “It has started to feel a lot like Christmas in Porlock.”

Porlock Hardware’s Chris De Vere Hunt thought it had been ‘a great night with everybody in great spirits’.

Richard Growden, of Squires, said: “It was a great success in my shop, with many people saying how much they were enjoying themselves.”

Aisha Cook-Ateem, of The Exmoor Candle Company, in the Emporium, said she would ‘love to thank everybody who turned out to support the High Street’, a sentiment echoed by all the shops, pubs, and local community groups which enjoyed the evening.

One late night shopping couple from Bristol said they travelled to Porlock for the festivities most years, and congratulated everybody when they visited the Bagatelle for an evening full of entertainment and fun.

The annual Porlock Santa Festival saw more than 20 entries, with the Porlock Newsletter Best Santa Cup going to ‘Christmas Invades Top Ship’, by The Top Ship pub.

In second place was The Cottage bed and breakfast with ‘Boo to Robots!’, and third was Alainn Beauty with ‘Santa’s Winter Wonderland’.

The Lorna Doone Best Comic Santa Cup was won by The Cottage, while Porlock Information Centre’s Most Festive Santa Cup went to Alainn Beauty.

The award for the ‘Most Creative Santa’ went to ‘Santa to the Moon’, by Tom’s Repair Shop, the ‘Most Original Santa’ award to the Top Ship, and best ‘Small Santa’ to Number One’s ‘North Pole Santa.’

A ‘Santa Trail’ will remain available until the end of December.