Lloyd's a record-breaker
Lisa Hodge • Published 13 Nov 2010 14:00
GREENOCK'S Oak Mall has pulled a special Christmas cracker - thanks to its busiest-ever festive lights switch-on.
The shopping centre had X Factor star Lloyd Daniels turning on the Christmas lights on Thursday night - which saw more than 2,000 screaming fans flock to the mall.
Manager of the Oak Mall, Claire Jefcoate, said the event was a huge success.
She said: "This is by far the biggest crowd we've ever had at the lights switch-on. The reaction to Lloyd Daniels was just phenomenal."
As numbers swelled, police were called in to disperse and control the crowds after hundreds of frenzied fans swarmed around their idol as he was escorted from the stage.
Such was the Welsh star's popularity, police reinforcements had to be drafted in to ensure the pint-sized pop star was escorted from the premises safely after hundreds of fans surrounded the building, covering every exit.
Claire added: "The police often work closely with us on matters of security and this occasion was no different.
"The reaction to Lloyd was so huge that we asked them for extra assistance to help control the crowds."
Ironically, Lloyd was only drafted in as a last-minute replacement for another X Factor star, Stacey Solomon, who cancelled to head to Australia for the new series of I'm a Celebrity Get me Out Of Here. But it appears the 17-year-old Welsh heartthrob was the preferred choice of the thousands of fans in Inverclyde, who turned out in their droves to break all the Mall's previous attendance records.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 13 Nov 10
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