Whithorn Primary have the Gateway Xmas Factor!

Hundreds of spectators flocked to Gretna Gateway Outlet Village on Sunday 12th December to watch the grand final of the Xmas Factor. The winners of the annual primary school carol-singing contest, run by Gretna Gateway and WestSound Radio, were Whithorn Primary with their version of Away In A Manger.
The closely fought competition also saw Applegarth and Twynholm primaries sing O Little Town Of Bethlehem, while Eastriggs also sang Away In A Manger, and St. Andrew’s from Dumfries sang Joy To The World. The 5 finalists were selected from a shortlist of 10 following a public vote through WestSound which saw over 8000 votes cast, and were judged in the final by leading tenor Nicky Spence, WestSound breakfast show presenter Bruce McKenzie, and Gretna Gateway General Manager Peter Gardner, who commented afterwards “Any one of these 5 finalists would have been a worthy winner, and it was very difficult to choose a winner from 5 exceptional performances. The children should all be very proud of themselves and we hope they enjoyed taking part as much as the crowd enjoyed their singing, which added a lovely festive touch to the Outlet Village in the build-up to Christmas”.
Guest judge Nicky Spence, originally from Thornhill, also treated the crowd to a beautiful rendition of O Holy Night before Whithorn Primary was presented with a cheque for £500 and the winner’s trophy, while the runners up each got a certificate and a cheque for £50.”