ILMINSTER has turned on its Christmas lights during a fantastic event.

The annual Victorian Evening took place on Friday, November 23, in the town centre.

Live music was playing throughout the event in the run up to disabled strong-man Gary Clarke switching on the lights at 7pm.

Mike Fry Foley, organiser of Ilminster lights switch on, said the event was once again a huge success for the town.

He added: “This year’s light switch on event was a big success.

“We had the market there for the second year in a row and it was bigger than it has ever been.

“We had a really positive response from people on the day and traders said they had a really good day.

“I want to say a big thank you to the lighting team.

"They did a fantastic job this year and the lights look spectacular.

“They put such a lot of effort in every year to make Ilminster’s lights better.

“We are looking forward to next year’s switch on and hope it will continue to grow.”

Shops also got involved with festive displays in their windows.