Stone mayor Cllr Mike Shaw and his wife Sue will be launching the town’s giant Advent calendar when they unveil the first window at the library in Market Square on Saturday (December 1) at 11am.

This year’s theme is carols from around the world and the civic leaders will be helped by Walton Priory Middle School pupils.

In the build-up to this festive season 24 shops and organisations have each chosen a carol and will open their windows on a different day in December – and Stone Library has picked Joy to the World.

It is a community project between businesses, schools and local organisations and has been organised by Christ Church members David and Pam Pott for the third year running.

“We are absolutely delighted with how popular the project has become and that it has become part of the town’s festive celebrations,” said David.

He said that six new shops and businesses were supporting the calendar this year – Stone Library, Lock Keepers Hair salon, the Dezign Room Hairdressers, Swan Inn, John Burton solicitors and Costa Coffee.

Children from local schools will help some of the shops decorate their windows with a different one revealing their window each day at 11am until the last one is opened by Frances Mayer of the Secret Kitchen on Monday, December 24 at Christ Church.

On Christmas Eve a group will tour each of the shops and businesses and sing each of the 24 carols beginning at the Swan Inn in Stafford Street at 9.30am and ending up at Christ Church.

Advent Windows Map 2012

The full list is:

• Saturday, December 1: Stone Library and Walton Priory Middle School, Joy to the World.
• Sunday. December 2: The Mill and Stone WI, White Christmas.
• Monday, December 3: Blue Room and Trinity Skills, Walking in the Air.
• Tuesday, December 4: Zeta and St Michael’s First School, Mary’s Boy Child. This window will be opened by Mrs Mary Gale, who has been head teacher at the school for 16 years.
• Wednesday, December 5:  Lock Keeper’s Salon and St Dominic’s First School, Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.
• Thursday, December 6: Crazy Daisies and Oak Tree Farm, While Shepherds Watched.
• Friday, December 7:  Katharine House and Hillbillies, We Three Kings. Window will be unveiled by Libby Dale, Head of Retail, who opened the shop 13 years ago.
• Saturday, December 8: Dunoon, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. This window will be opened by Bill Cash, MP.
• Sunday, December 9:  Royal Exchange (Titanic), O come all ye Faithful.
• Monday, December 10:  Baileys, Let it Snow.
• Tuesday, December 11: Footsteps and Mumbles of Sandon, Frosty the Snowman.
• Wednesday, December 12: Yarn Gathering and Christ Church First School, Deck the Halls.
• Thursday, December 13:  Shear Genius and Oulton First School, I Saw Three Ships.
• Friday, December 14:  Fleur and St Dominic’s Priory, The Angel Gabriel.
• Saturday, December 15:  Pour Les Pieds, See Amid the Winter’s Snow. This window will be opened by Ed Dyster, a young boy who cycled 150 miles in June to raise funds for the Donna Louise Trust and who is a customer at Pour Les Pieds.
• Sunday, December 16:  Swan Inn and Stone Town Band, God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen.
• Monday, December 17: John Burton solicitors and Pirehill First School, Oh, Christmas Tree.
• Tuesday, December 18:  Radford gallery and Christ Church Academy, Le Divin Infant.
• Wednesday, December 19: Wikijum and Beaver/Scouts, We wish you a Merry Christmas.
• Thursday, December 20:  Home and Colour and Alleyne’s School, Once in Royal David’s City
• Friday, December 21:  Hammersleys, Do you see what I see?
• Saturday, December 22: Birchill and Watson, The shepherd’s pipe carol.
• Sunday, December 23: Costa Coffee, The First Noel.
• Monday, December 24: Christ Church, Heaven invites you to a party.

For more information please contact David and Pam Pott on 01785 286474 or 07932 790525

Press release issued by John Butterworth, 01785 817465 or 07955 262633