Crowds assembled for the big switch-on of Addingham's Chris-tmas lights last week were left scratching their heads thanks to a mix up.

Villagers looked around in vain for a local religious leader to say a few words of prayer before the ceremony was performed by Doctor Eugene Raubitschek.

However, Pastor Susan Roe, of Mount Hermon Chapel, was not at the ceremony.

Mrs Roe said that she had never been formally invited to the ceremony and did not know it had been taking place at the time

She said that a few weeks previously she had during a casual conversation with a parish councillor, agreed to say the prayers at the switch-on ceremony.

She said she was told she would be formally invited by a letter which would also contain the time and date of the event.

Mrs Roe said the letter never arrived and there had not been any publicity in the village to say when the ceremony would be taking place.

She said she was very disappointed to miss the ceremony because she had felt honoured to be asked.

Mrs Roe said the whole affair could be put down to a mix-up between her and the parish council.

"I was waiting for something in writing and they assumed I was coming.

"I am disappointed not to have done it because it was very special to be asked," said Mrs Roe.

The week before the switch-on, Mrs Roe said she had been feeling unwell and did not go out as much as usual, depriving people of the chance to tell her when the ceremony was taking place.

"If someone asks me to do something, I have never yet let them down," added Mrs Roe.

Some people at the ceremony were also disappointed that there was no school choir to sing carols.

But Parish Councillor Michael Aldridge said that instead of sending a choir of children all together, the school got parents to bring their own children to the event with song sheets.

This meant that although the children were singing, they did not stand out from the crowd.

And the switch-on ceremony ended with more lights than were bargained for. Police on duty got an emergency call which saw them zoom off in a blaze of light and noise.

Coun Aldridge told the Ilkley Gazette this week: "It did not matter because we had finished by then but they went off with blue lights flashing and sirens screaming."

Apart from the minor problems, Coun Aldridge said the ceremony went very well.

"The only slight problem was Pastor Roe not turning up but it went quite well," he said.

"All the lights went on alright."