LEARN how to make traditional willow and tissue paper lanterns ahead of the Salisbury Lantern and Lights Procession.

The first workshop is being held on Saturday (November 9) from 10am until 3pm at Salisbury Arts Centre followed by another one on Saturday, November 30 from 10am to 3pm in the Guildhall.

The drop-in workshops are being hosted by Wiltshire Creative and are free to attend. All materials are provided.

The Lantern and Lights Procession, which will be returning for its eighth year, will take place on the evening of Thursday, December 12.

Salisbury BID and Salisbury City Council are working in partnership to bring the festive event to the city once again this year. And Openreach, the broadband network provider, and the sponsor of the 2019 Lantern and Lights Procession, will be offering a prize for the best entry.

James Tappenden, fibre first director at Openreach, said: “Our engineers are out in Salisbury every day working hard to build a network that will deliver broadband at the speed of light. So, of course it was a lightbulb moment when we offered to sponsor the Lantern & Lights Procession.“I can’t wait to see all the brilliant entries and look forward to awarding the best one with our prize of a tech bundle worth £500.”

The event will start at Salisbury Cathedral and finish in the Market Place. And organisers say the procession will be “even bigger and better than last year” with a marching band and family entertainment. Last year’s procession saw hundreds of lanterns and thousands of people light up the city.

To protect the environment and to prevent danger to wildlife, lanterns and lights joining the illuminated procession will be battery powered.

Naked flames are not permitted, and no lanterns will be released into the sky.