Window Wanderland set to produce another magical Christmas trail for Horncastle

The popular community event, Window Wanderland, is returning for four nights from Thursday, December 5 to Sunday, December 8.

It is now in its fourth year, with hundreds of beautiful window displays created since it began in 2021.

This year, there will also be a free workshop at Horncastle Library on Wharf Road, where local artist Joanna Pass will be giving her tips on how to create a community window.

The town’s independent businesses, from bike shops and jewellers’ stores to its famous antique shops, are again taking part in Window Wanderland.

Representatives from local organisations are also getting involved, including students at Saint Lawrence School, residents at the Clarence House care home, users of the Wong Day Service care centre, volunteers at the Joseph Banks Centre and supporters of Horncastle’s charity shops.

One of the event’s organisers, Ian Marshman, said: “With windows to explore throughout the town, the trail is a great excuse to wrap up warm and go for a festive wander. Or to to do a spot of Christmas shopping and to stop off for a hot chocolate along the way.

"The event’s finale on Sunday, December 8 coincides with the return of Horncastle’s popular Christmas Market, which will take over the whole town centre as the streets are closed to make way for stalls, rides and food vendors.

"There is still time to sign up to decorate a window, which can be done by visiting the Window Wanderland website here.

"Maps to help visitors find all the windows will be available online from Monday, December 2, as well as in print at Horncastle Library and the Joseph Banks Centre.”

The Window Wanderland workshop takes place next week, on Thursday, November 28 (3.30 pm to 5.30 pm), and has been made possible thanks to support from the East Mercia Rivers Trust as part of its Horncastle Riverscape Enhancement Project.

The project wants to “reconnect people with the rivers Bain and Waring and their natural heritage”. It is being funded by a near-£200,000 grant from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which has a levelling-up aim of boosting areas of the country that are sometimes neglected.