CRIES of delight rang out in the centre of Blackbird Leys on Tuesday night as youngsters were showered in fake snow under the glow of Christmas lights.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Church of the Holy Family to watch 1,000 lights switched on around the estate's second ever community tree.

An inflatable Santa's grotto, three different choirs, hot soup and an array of treasures laid out on market stalls kept visitors of all ages amused.

Churchgoer Russell Price took the lead in organising the event with the help of 15 organisations including the city council and local businesses, schools and charities.

He said: "It surpassed all my expectations. The thing that really struck me is the way so many people were willing to help and make sure we had a great evening.

"It was wonderful to see such an enormous queue of parents and kids waiting to see Santa, and the snow machine was brilliant; they were so excited."

Crowds were entertained by carols and song from the Blackbird Academy Trust's three primary schools, Blackbird Leys Choir and Polish group Maluchy, as well as a dramatic series of scenes from A Christmas Carol performed by students from The Oxford Academy.

All of this was interspersed with numbers from the Salvation Army Band.

Local councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor Rae Humberstone turned on the lights on the Christmas tree to resounding applause. The tree will be moved to the front of the church this week and will be ablaze every night until early January.

Soup, Japanese snacks, mulled wine and boxes of pastries donated by a Polish bakery in London were among the culinary treats on offer.

Shirley Moore, 65 of Knights Road, sold upcycled crafts from her market stall on the night.

She said: "It's lovely having these community-type things that bring everybody together and the Salvation Army band was just terrific.

"Everybody was excited when the tree was lit up. The whole evening was great."