Silent Night no more! Historic Canterbury Christmas that faced the axe after 70 years over health and safety fears will go ahead after volunteers step in to rescue it

Volunteers have managed to save a 70-year-old open air carol service which was threatened with cancellation due to health and safety fears.

Organisers of the Christmas Eve carol singing service in Rose Square, Canterbury, were considering pulling the plug on the popular event due to fears over the limited number of volunteers available to manage the thousands expected in attendance.

Confusion over its future had arisen after the Lord Mayor of Canterbury's Christmas Gift Fund, which has long organised the service, posted on social media that it had been called off.

However, Canterbury City Council has now stepped in to support the charity, which is independent of the council and the Lord Mayor's office, by taking on overall responsibility for the safety of the event because of its expertise in event planning.

The Lord Mayor councillor Jean Butcher said: 'The Christmas Eve carol concert is one of the highlights of the Lord Mayor's year and I have been really looking forward to doing my bit this year.

'I have to confess to a hint of sadness when I heard the concert may not go ahead but now I am smiling from ear to ear and cannot wait to see everyone come together and hear them in full voice.'

The local authorities agreed to step in to pay for extra security staff to supplement its own team and help with stewarding the crowds.

It also increased its own public liability insurance to cover the event and its insurer Zurich waived its additional premium.

Tony Laughran, speaking on behalf of the Lord Mayor of Canterbury's Christmas Gift Fund, said the committee was pleased that following detailed discussions with the city council, the event was proceeding.

The singalong event is incredibly popular with locals, referred to by many as the 'highlight' of their Christmas season and regularly attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

The Archbishop will now be giving a Christmas address from an open top double decker bus at the carol service.

The Christmas Eve carols were unable to go ahead in both 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but the event was replaced with an online alternative.

The money raised at the carol concert is used to buy much-needed Christmas food and gifts for deprived families and the elderly in Canterbury.

Leader of the council, councillor Alan Baldock, added: 'No one encapsulates the Christmas spirit more than the small band of volunteers that work tirelessly to raise money for those in the district who need our help.

'They spend countless hours of their own time dedicated to others so when we heard they might need a small hand from us, it was the least we could do to strain every sinew to make that happen.

'I am so pleased that effort has paid off.'

The charity had previously announced: 'We are very sad to advise you that the Community Carol Singing on Christmas Eve (December 24) in Rose Square, Canterbury will not take place this year.

'We are a small committee of volunteers and the requirements to ensure that the event goes ahead safely is beyond what we can do.

'Whilst it is very disappointing we have nevertheless continued to distribute gifts for those in need and have spent over £13,000 this Christmas season to ensure that many of our neighbours will have received help from The Lord Mayor of Canterbury's Christmas Gift Fund.'

The initial announcement of the cancellation caused sadness among the many long-term attendees, one of whom said: 'I have attended this event since childhood, so for 70 years, and it's the start of Christmas for me.

'I'm gutted but so pleased that the charity is still able to continue.'

Another regular attendee shared their sadness at the potential demise of the decades-long tradition, saying: 'That is such a blow.

'As a family we have supported it since the very beginning.'

Attendees will no doubt now be delighted that the 70-year-old tradition will continue to take place after all.

It comes after a trendy east London Christmas market was forced to cancel its famous carol tradition for the rest of the year due to huge overcrowding after seeing it on TikTok.

Up to 7,000 people turned up to the Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays, in Bethnal Green, with organisers saying they have now axed the event over fears for public safety.

Footage uploaded to TikTok of the event earlier this month showed massive crowds enjoying the festive singalong, which saw the local vicar wheeling a piano down the street to accompany carolers.

Some who attended said they were 'packed in like sardines' and feared it was a 'disaster waiting to happen', while locals blamed the 'dangerous' overcrowding on the event being advertised on social media.

Columbia Road has long been a tourist hotspot in the capital, with its flower market held every Sunday seeing a rise in visitors year-round – in part thanks to being promoted by social media influencers.

It holds a festive event every Wednesday in the lead up to Christmas, with local businesses staying open until late and carol singing from 7 to 8pm.

But after just two Christmas Wednesday events this year, St Peter's Bethnal Green, which is behind the event, announced plans to axe the caroling.