Ready? Set? Sparkle! Anse Etoile district lights up ahead of Christmas |05 December 2020
Anse Etoile all dressed up for Christmas (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
As the festive season draws near, a group of volunteers from the Anse Etoile district, ‘Anse Etoile an Mouvman’, have decided to decorate the district and spread some Christmas cheer among residents and visitors alike.
In a small ceremony at the district administration yesterday evening, the Christmas decorations, all of which have been handcrafted from recycled materials by the 20 or so volunteers, were finally lit up, to be enjoyed by all throughout the Christmas and New Year period.
Among the various decorations are Christmas trees of various shapes and sizes, paintings of Santa Claus and his reindeers, and snowmen constructed of recycled tyres, recycled wooden pallets, CDs and billboards with the addition of sparkling lights, to the delight of everyone and especially the children in attendance.
“This activity was conceived while we were campaigning for the elections and I made it known that if I was elected, we would strive to make it the best Christmas the district has seen over recent years. This was a promise we made to the residents and I am happy that we have managed to realise it,” said member of the National Assembly for Anse Etoile, Georges Romain.
“As we all know, Christmas is a time for togetherness and unification and following the intense elections, I think this is the ideal moment to bring our children and everyone together to take our district further and to bring about development which we as residents can all be proud of in future,” added Mr Romain, calling on others to join the group and help support the district.
The light decorations were switched on by two students from Anse Etoile, in the presence of Vice-President Ahmed Afif who hails from the district, and Minister for Local Government and Community Development Rose Marie Hoareau, among others.
A large crowd of residents had also gathered excitedly for the event, the first of its kind in the district in recent years.
Over the next few weeks, families are being encouraged to visit Anse Etoile to take a moment to enjoy and have their pictures taken with the decorations as many like to do. Special arrangements have been made with relevant authorities to allow persons to see the décor, even outside DA operating hours.
In addition to yesterday’s lighting up ceremony, ‘Anse Etoile an Mouvman’ is also planning a Christmas fair on December 19, another activity aimed at spreading the festive joy and love and to also bring residents together.
Laura Pillay
