Live nativity show is real festive treat for Market Drayton - with pictures
Horses, a donkey, carol singers and even a Roman soldier lined the streets of a Shropshire town for a special outdoor nativity play.
Now in its second year, the Buttercross to Bethlehem performance took place in Market Drayton on Sunday with up to 2,000 people turning out for the show.
A three-month-old played the integral role of baby Jesus – with her parents acting as Mary and Joseph.
The event was organised by Market Drayton Churches Together and took place in Cheshire Street.
Minister at Market Drayton Methodist Church, The Rev Ruth Jeffries was delighted with how well received the production was.
She said: "We were really pleased with how it went.
"I was concerned with the weather but we had faith the rain would stop around lunchtime and it did.
"Loads of people turned out. We think it was probably the same as last year but possibly a few more – it looked to be between 1,500 and 2,000.
"Genuinely, there was just really positive feedback.
"We do it with the community and local businesses and everyone was really lovely and supportive."
About 30 cast members descended down the street to take part in the production, which lasted about 40 minutes, before the nativity ended at the 'Bethlehem stable' – aka the Buttercross Tearoom.
Members of the audience were handed programmes so they could join in with the classic songs.
It's the second year the event has been organised but The Rev Jeffries insisted it was too early to say if it would be returning in 2018.
"The story was told through narrators and actors," she said.
"The Roman soldier was a new addition this year and we hired a professional donkey after one refused to get on the trailer last year.
"We want to tell the true Christmas story publicly in the town and for people to come and enjoy it is really important.
"We plan all year for it in very many ways but the the last few weeks are crazy after steadily planning throughout the year.
"This year there was a lot of things we didn't need to do because we did them the year before like making costumes."
The Rev Jeffries brought the idea to Market Drayton after her parents did something much smaller at their village church in Lancashire.
