BROUGHTY FERRY embraced the festive spirit with great enthusiasm yesterday as a street fair celebrated the refurbishment of Brook Street and the switch-on of the Christmas lights.

The event started with a parade of local organisations, led by the MacKenzie Caledonian Pipe Band from Castle Green to Brook Street, which closed to traffic for the afternoon.

No such event would be complete without a visit from Santa in his sleigh, appearing courtesy of Broughty Ferry Round Table, and the party atmosphere was enhanced by stalls handing out roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, burgers and balloons, as well as slices of a specially decorated cake donated by Goodfellow and Steven.

Lord Provost John Letford, accompanied by Broughty Ferry Traders’ Association (BFTA) president Ian Philp and Broughty Ferry Community Council chairman George Ferguson, cut the ribbon to officially open the new-look Brook Street.

The opening came after months of delays and frustrations for local traders, with completion of the work put back more than once.

However, yesterday was a time for smiles and congratulations, rather than dwelling on past frustrations, and the BFTA’s Sandro Paladini said the timing of the opening event could in the end prove fortuitous.

“It’s been a long time coming, of course, but it has been worth the wait and the timing actually has turned out to be very convenient, just as the festive season gets under way.”

He went on, “The council should be congratulated for adding very much to the attractiveness of Broughty Ferry.”

The refurbishment comes at a time of growing confidence among Broughty traders, with interest in the area from what he described as “blue chip companies.”

“There’s a huge uplift and upswing of feeling among residents and shopkeepers in Broughty Ferry,” said Mr Paladini. “Hard on the heels of the announcement that Marks & Spencer is going to be opening here, we now hear that Tesco is looking very seriously at trying to get a new store.”

He said yesterday’s event was very much a community affair, with input from the RNLI, the Phibbies and local youth organisations and schools.

As the switch-on drew near, it seemed most of Broughty Ferry had turned out for the occasion and Mr Philp praised all involved in organising the fair.

“It’s really been a huge effort between the council, the community council and the traders. I think it just shows what can be done when all these groups get together,” he said.

The crowd was entertained by children from the Next Generation Saturday morning dance class and by a choir from Eastern Primary School.

The big moment was delayed slightly as it was not quite dark enough for the photosensitive lights to be turned on, but eventually the lord provost was able to give the signal.

In fact he led the crowd in not one, but two countdowns, before the penny dropped with everyone that the lights had to be switched on individually.

Though the event might not have been as spectacular as they had expected, the good-natured crowd took it in their stride, and many families waited the few extra minutes to see the lights blaze along the length of Brook Street.