A WORCESTERSHIRE town is pulling out all the stops to make Christmas bigger and better than ever before.

Upton-upon-Severn is spending £25,000 to ensure that the town sparkles over the festive season with new state-of-the-art lights and a huge Christmas tree on the riverside.

Upton Town Council has committed the cash from its reserves but will be receiving donations from Upton Tourism and Trade Association, which initiated the scheme, to help with some of the cost.

The new multi-coloured LED lights will be put up in High Street, New Street, Court Street, Old Street and along the Waterfront in time for the town’s Christmas celebrations on Saturday, November 24.

It is shaping up to be the most ambitious festive event ever staged in Upton, with attractions including a Christmas farmers’ market, a nativity procession featuring sheep and donkeys, carols under the tree and even a temporary ice rink on the public car park in Old Street.

Annette Keyworth, chairman of the trade association, hopes the event will establish itself as one of the biggest and best in the county.

She said: “We are doing this for the community.

“To give something back to Upton people and give them an event they can enjoy and be proud of, as well as to support the traders we have here already and hopefully attract new ones.”

Mrs Keyworth said the inspiration for stepping up Christmas celebrations came from the success of a Diamond Jubilee party organised by the association in the summer.

“Afterwards everyone kept asking us what was going to be next and that was a major factor in us looking to go bigger and better,” she said.

“All the traders in town offered fantastic support to make the jubilee such a success and we really hope they will get on board with this as well.”

The decision to buy the lights was taken by the town council’s hall, finance and general purposes committee. Upton Tourism and Trade Association will be committing £3,000 to this year’s event and hopes to donate the same amount again in 2013.