Christmas in Earlestown event postponed and St Helens Santa Dash cancelled as amber weather warning issued

Article date: 6 December 2024

From 1:00am-9:00pm on Saturday 7 December, an amber warning of wind is in place for the borough, with warnings of this nature potentially resulting in flying debris and posing a risk of injuries or danger to life. Organisers of the Pop Up Market and other entertainers have also had to cancel due to the adverse weather warnings.

The Christmas tree lights in Market Square, Earlestown, will still be lit from this Saturday but the public are advised that there will be no public event to mark this, with the council looking to reschedule an event for a later date to accommodate the hugely popular Pop Up Market coming to the historic market town for the first time.

With the annual St Helens Santa Dash, organised by the council's sports development and active lives team, also due to take place in Victoria Park on Saturday, a decision has been made to cancel the event, with participants notified about refunds.

Kath O'Dwyer, Chief Executive of St Helens Borough Council, said: "It's obviously disappointing that we've had to make this decision because we know how much residents and the community groups involved in this year's Earlestown event were looking forward to it and how popular the Santa Dash is- but it's absolutely the right call given the potentially dangerous weather forecast.

"The safety of all our residents is of paramount importance and we know how important this time of year is which is why we are working on a new date to help spread some Christmas cheer for the people of Earlestown and surrounding areas."

Full details on a rescheduled Christmas in Earlestown event to follow.