DUE to unforeseen circumstances Middlesbrough football club manager Steve McClaren will be unable to switch on Stockton's Christmas lights next week.
However, his replacements will be Middlesbrough players Stewart Downing, Tony McMahon and James Morrison.
The event will start at 4pm on Thursday as BBC Radio Cleveland presenters Adrian Allen and John Foster introduce local bans Holahband. The Wildcats of Kilkenny will take the stage at 4.45pm followed by Christmas carols sung by youngsters from Hartburn Primary School.
Students appearing in Gordon Steele's re-write of Peter Pan at Arc will be there, as will the cast from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, currently appearing at the Forum Theatre.
The lights will be switched on at 6pm.
Steve McClaren said: "I am very disappointed that I can't make it for the big night as I was looking forward to doing the honours and I send my apologies, but I am sure Stewart, Tony and James will prove more than able replacements."
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