In Misraħ the Visit of Pope John Paul II to Mellieħa, the Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli, together with Mrs. Miriam Vella and the Mellieħa Local Council, officially opened the first edition of the ‘Christmas Village in Mellieħa’ activity. Part of the income from the activities organized for this Christmas village will go to The Malta Community Chest Fund.
For this activity the Mellieħa Local Council benefited from funding of just over €42,000 from the ‘Annual Christmas Activities 2022’ scheme issued by the Local Government Division.
“How nice and valuable it is that the Local Councils organize social activities in the neighborhood, not only during Christmas but throughout the year. Why, socio-cultural activities offer a sense of community and continue to give life to our localities, especially after a two-year absence of social activities due to the pandemic” said Zerafa Civelli.
The ‘Mellieħa Christmas Village’ this year will have a different trend and with new attractions than the ‘Mellieħi Christmas’, which was organized in previous years before the Covid19 pandemic. The Illuminated Trail, Trackless Train, Father and Mother Christmas Sleigh, live nativity scene and nativity scene are among the attractions of this Christmas village.
Mrs Miriam Vella thanked the Mellieħa Local Council for thinking of organizing this activity in aid of The Malta Community Chest Fund which needs funds to help those who are going through a difficult time especially those sick with cancer.
The Deputy Mayor John Buttiġieg said that the local council unanimously agreed that the Christmas activity in Mellieħa for this year, in addition to having a religious and cultural aspect, for this year year apart from the religious and cultural aspect.
Deputy Mayor Buttigièg, thanked all the workers of the local council and the voluntary organizations for their work to set up the Christmas village in Mellieħa. He also encouraged the residents and the Maltese and Gozitan people to visit the village and give their contribution to The Malta Community Chest Fund.
The Parliamentary Secretary reminded that for the first time this year the Local Councils will be giving their part in the ‘Gift with love’ initiative. Residents can place gifts under the Christmas tree in their locality between 12 and 19 December. “I encourage you to give a gift from the heart so that this year we can cheer up many more children whose families or guardians are not in a position to buy them a Christmas present” concluded Zerafa Civelli.
The Christmas village in Mellieħa will be open to the public between Friday 16 December and Sunday 18 December from 7:30 in the evening onwards. While the illuminated trail will remain open until Monday 2 January 2023.
