A VILLAGE’S festive lights display may not go ahead if volunteers don’t step forward to help out.
That’s the stark warning from Middleton-in-Teesdale’s Christmas Lights Committee, who have organised a public meeting to try and drum up more volunteers to help out.
Yvonne Metcalfe, secretary and treasurer of the group, said: “It’s a fact that if no-one comes forward there will be no lights in Middleton this year.
“We’re all getting older and it is a fact that we all have health problems and we just can’t do it by ourselves.
“We don’t need people to go on committees but to help in putting up and taking the lights down.”
Mrs Metcalfe, one of about eight volunteers who have ensured the village is well lit each festive period, has herself been part of the committee for 15 years.
She added: “It’s not a case that we would be stepping down, we’ll still be there it’s just we need help physically. There are so many young people with families in the village and it would be great to get them involved.
“I have personally sent letters out to about 20 people asking for help, but as yet I haven’t had any response.”
The group had hoped to use the services of Keighley-based Christmas Plus to reduce the need for volunteer help. However, overcoming a compliance issue proved to be too costly for the group.
Mrs Metcalfe added: “We thought Christmas Plus was a great idea but to be compliant with them is going to cost £600 a fitting and that’s about £4,500 to us – and we don’t have that kind of money.”
All the funds raised by the group are reinvested into the lights and maintenance. She added as the group is not a registered charity, they also miss out on grant funding.
“We even applied to county councillors Ted Henderson and Richard Bell for money, but because three households provide electric for the display, something they wanted to do as their donation, we are not eligible.”
Fundraising for the group is also down this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with coffee mornings and other activities curtailed.
However, Ms Metcalfe said the annual numbers draw is the single biggest fundraiser, pulling in some £4,000 to £4,500 each year.
For £10 residents get a number which in normal circumstances is placed in a monthly draw with first and second prizes of £50 and £25 and bigger prize of £250 in December.
Mrs Metcalfe added: “This year we’re only doing the December draw and there’s still time for anyone who wants to get a number or hasn’t paid to do it at J Raines.
“It’s the money from the ten draws that pays for any new lights that we have. But it’s not just the cost of the lights that have we have to think about. Every three years the lampposts have to be tested and that costs about £300 per post.
“It’s people on the ground that we really need. It’s not a bad job if there is a few of us putting them up. The more of us there are the less time it takes.
“And it’s not that we’re backing away but we just can’t do it physically anymore by ourselves. Without some younger blood the village will be in darkness.”
The public meeting is being held on Wednesday, August 12, at 7pm in Middleton-in-Teesdale Social Club.
“It would be great to get families involved,” she added. “I did for my children and I’m still doing it all these years later.”
