Over one hundred and forty children and many more adults attended Radstock Museum’s Victorian Christmas on Saturday, 26th November. The event was sponsored by Radstock Town Council enabling free admission to the Museum and was organised by Museum Education and Publicity volunteer Lucy Tudor.

Lucy said, “I would like to say a big thank you to all the Museum volunteers for preparing for and running this first major event since before Covid. They all worked incredibly hard, and their work was rewarded by seeing the faces of happy children, parents, and grandparents. We had some lovely comments from our guests, and I would also like to thank them for attending.”

Children enjoyed lots of free Victorian themed craft activities - they played with Victorian toys, met the coal miner’s wife in the Victorian cottage preparing for Christmas, weighed out sweets and wrapped parcels in the old Coop shop. They were welcomed into the Museum by strict Victorian School Master played by Museum Chairman, Simon Carter and Father Christmas played by Museum Volunteer Les Sprakes. A local choir sang rousing Christmas carols throughout the event.

Jen, an attendee, said, “What a lovely afternoon at Somerset Coalfield Life at Radstock Museum getting the children involved in a Victorian Christmas. Thank you to everyone involved you did a fantastic job”

Another, Gwyneth, remarked: “It was wonderful, a big thank you to all the volunteers, we came away absolutely ladened with crafts!”

Victorian Christmas was organised in conjunction with the Radstock Christmas Light Switch On. As Victorian Christmas ended, the Museum visitors went across the road to the Miners Wheel and joined other members of the public to see the Christmas lights switched on by Lucy Tudor, Museum Volunteer.

Lucy said, “I was delighted and honoured to be asked by the Town Council to switch on the lights. I was told it was in recognition of the voluntary work I have been involved with both at the museum and in the town over the years. I recently announced that I would be taking a long break from volunteering at the museum and in the community to concentrate on other projects and I understand that the Town Council thought that asking me to switch on the Christmas lights would be a lovely way to say farewell which indeed it was. I have really enjoyed working with Diane Abbott and George Clutten at Radstock Town Council in recent years and would like to thank them both.”

The museum will shop will be open on Saturdays in December for Christmas shopping but the museum itself will close in December and January for some refurbishment work and cleaning, reopening at the beginning of February.