SHREWD planning by volun-teers means Barnard Castle will sparkle during this year’s festive season.
Due to the Covid-19 alert, the town’s Christmas Lights Group has been unable to carry out any fundraising to cover the costs of the annual display.
However, cash raised dur-ing previous years along with the annual grant from the town council means this year’s display is well in hand – and there are even plans to “liven up” the lights on Galgate greens.
Roger Peat, a member of the Christmas Lights Group, said: “The lights are very much going ahead. Although we have not been able to fundraise this year, we have always had a healthy balance to cover for such things. We have always looked one year ahead with money and we get a donation from the town council which goes a long way towards it.”
The lights group had been faced the prospect of expen-sive repairs to some of the “icicle” lights which have proved popular in the last couple of years.
“Some of them were failing, as people appreciated,” said Mr Peat. “But we bought a lot of festoon lights from Martin Bacon and the aim is to put those along from the Post Office to Niche Living and along the other side of Galgate as well. We are also really keen to liven up Galgate greens,” he added.
Plans to install uplighters on the greens have been put on hold but Mr Peat said volunteers would come up with an alternative. A decision on whether the traditional ceremony to switch on the Christmas tree lights will take place this year has yet to be made. The event is organised by the town council and usually attracts a large crowd, includ-ing lots of children keen to meet Santa in his grotto in the Methodist church. In recent years, a number of other attractions have been organised alongside the switch-on, including the chance to meet real reindeer and the chance to have a go in a “snow globe” .
