THE organisers of a winter festival in the Canadian city of Selkirk are inviting people in the Borders town to join in.

Selkirk in Manitoba, Canada, has been forced to move its Holiday Alley festival online due to coronavirus.

And organisers are now looking for participation from people living in namesake settlements across the world.

Souters are invited to submit a video of themselves singing a revamped version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, with all the contributions going on to be edited into a 12-verse final film.

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Lois Wales is the president of Red River North Tourism, which organises the annual festival near Winnipeg.

Ms Wales said: “The more we expand this festival, outside of the in-person two days, the more we realised that holiday cheer can connect strangers with even the strangest commonality – a city name.”

Festival organisers have already identified numerous places called Selkirk, including in New York, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and Yukon Territory.

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Holiday Alley began on December 4 and will last until December 19.

During this year’s festival, residents of Selkirk in Manitoba are invited to join activities online, including a pet parade, an online market, and a reading trail around the town.

To get a copy of the reworked Twelve Days of Christmas lyrics, register at: elf@holidayalley.ca.

The deadline for video submissions is Thursday, December 10.

For more information and a full list of Holiday Alley’s virtual events, visit: holidayalley.ca