Lucky Lucy McCluskey has started the countdown to Christmas in her home town.

She performed the honours at Brampton’s festive lights switch-on yesterday.

She looked down at a crowd of hundreds from the Moot Hall to carry out the task.

The nine-year-old, who lives on Berrymoor Road, was picked after winning an arts competition and said: “It was really good to do this.”

Her mum, Kerry, 36, added:“I am very proud of her. She loves anything like this and she was speechless when she found out that she had won.”

This was the culmination of an evening which had seen hundreds of people pack into the centre of Brampton to celebrate the coming of the Christmas season.

This included a special stage on Market Place with singers and entertainers as well as well as stands giving out food and hot drinks.

Shortly before 5pm the main procession made its way through Front Street and up towards the Moot Hall.

This included Joseph and Mary, played by local schoolchildren, with the latter riding on a donkey called Dinky.

Animals were a big part of the rest of the parade.

And Santa was pulled down the street in his sleigh with a real reindeer leading his way.

He was accompanied by three wise men, all riding real camels which were brough to the event from Warwickshire.

These were a popular attraction at the event and caught the attention of Sammy Crabbe, 24, from Milton, who attended the event with her two-year-old daughter Kara.

She said: “This is really good, she loved it because Santa waved at her. We came last year and she knows what’s going on now.”

Another parent, Michael Noble, 34, who lives on Kingwater Close, attended with his children Charlie, six, and Dylan, five.

“It is great. These two have been really looking forward to it,” he said.