Filey’s Lobster Pot Christmas Tree Lighting Delayed Due to Storm Darragh

The yearly illumination event for a North Yorkshire town’s “fishtive” Christmas tree has been postponed due to predictions of severe weather. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for the North Yorkshire coast, indicating strong winds from Storm Darragh, effective from 06:00 GMT on Saturday until 06:00 on Sunday. The ceremony to light the 35ft (10.6m) tree in Filey, constructed from numerous lobster pots, was originally scheduled for Saturday but has been rescheduled for 14 December. Rex Harrison, the event organiser, stated: “The tree looks perfect, its all built, but the weather conditions for the weekend are predicted to be very poor.” Mr Harrison noted that the tree’s lighting at Coble Landing had grown into a “big highlight in the calendar,” drawing hundreds of attendees. He added: “It has become a town event with people coming from all over the country to see it, everyone gets involved.” He further mentioned: “It is now in its seventh year and this year it has 1,600 lights.” The lobster pot tree features a leaping salmon at its apex instead of a conventional star, and proceeds collected during the switch-on event benefit local schools and sea cadets. Mr Harrison reported that the event has generated over £24,000 for the town since its inception. The postponed switch-on is now scheduled for 17:00, followed by a fireworks display at 18:00. The weather predictions have also led to other weekend postponements across North Yorkshire, such as the Knaresborough Christmas Market. A spokesperson stated: “We are working hard to provide an alternative date and hope to have more news tomorrow.” Concurrently, the organisers of the Malton Christmas Festival declared the cancellation of this weekend’s Christmas Market.