CHRIST Church was a hive of activity on Saturday as charities from Swindon and beyond came together to take part in the tenth annual Christmas Market.

The popular event saw nearly 40 organisations come together in what has become a regular fixture on the Old Town calendar.

Visitors made their way around the many stalls where craft items, potential Christmas gifts and other hidden gems were on offer.

While the weather outside was cold and wet, inside the church and the community centre there were mince pies, mulled wine and hot pasties for everyone to enjoy.

The market is organised by the Friends of Christ Church. The chairman of the group, Caroline Pitt, explained why it is such an important event.

"This is our outreach to the community," said Caroline. "In previous years the total raised by all the charities has approached £4,000 and they all keep it.

"We've got nearly 40 charities, lots of them have been coming for several years. Some have come from further afield than Swindon.

"But we do also hope people will buy a raffle ticket, a mince pie or maybe a cup of coffee to help support the Friends.

"We think it is the only grade 2* listed building in Swindon still in use for its original purpose - we're very keen to keep it going which is why events like this are important."

This year was the first time the market has been held in the newly reordered church, complete with a new flat wooden floor, effective heating, clever lighting and an audio-visual set-up to rival a small theatre.

The Friends have also been spending money on other items to make the experience of the congregation that much more pleasant.

"We've bought a projector, there's also a swanky new noticeboard outside that we paid for and we also bought new doormats to protect the lovely new floor," said Caroline.

"Next we will be looking at the organ which needs some work doing to it and then eventually we want to do something with the roof."

As the day went on, visitors were treated to a performance by the church choir. The more energetic among them also had the rare opportunity to climb the 46 steep steps to the top of the bell tower and where they were able to learn more about its history.

One guest who made is way down the tower rather than up it was Father Christmas who made a special space in his busy diary to spend the day in Old Town.

Speaking exclusively to the Adver, the jolly bearded fellow said: "I've been busy criss-crossing across Europe and it is such a joy to be here in Swindon at this wonderful event.

"I'm finding it absolutely splendid. The people are charming, they've all got lovely smiles and I wish them all a happy Christmas - especially the children."