Volunteers bring Christmas lights back to town

Volunteers have stepped in to bring festive lights back to a town just in time for Christmas.

Windermere and Bowness Town Council had pledged to put Windermere's lights up this year, but complications with logistics meant it had been unable to install them.

The lights went up on Sunday after volunteers rallied round at the last minute, sad to see the Lake District town without its usual twinkle.

"We didn't feel Windermere felt Christmassy and the lights do make a big difference," said volunteer Nic Hastie. The council said it was "really pleased" to see the lights installed.

The group of volunteers had worked for years to bring Christmas to Windermere by installing the lights and holding a parade and fireworks.

With dwindling funding, the council had put money towards the events in previous years.

Mrs Hastie, however, said the council's funds had not kept up with rising prices, making it unviable for volunteers to continue.

The town council previously said after pledging to install the lights, it realised health and safety regulations made it "more complicated than we imagined".

Mrs Hastie said volunteers heard from residents they were unhappy with the lack of lights.

"To be honest, we all did feel going down the village ourselves, it was just not the same and as soon as we mentioned it, the team did jump in," she said.

Mrs Hastie also stressed the lights were "100% safe", and explained the issues the town council had encountered were related to how they would have to be installed by a professional company using a cherry picker, rather than by ladder, as volunteers did.

"I want to put everyone's mind at rest - those lights are 100% safe, they are 100% safely anchored and they have never changed from any of the years they have been going up," she added.

She said the town's feedback had been amazing and the comments had made their efforts worthwhile.

She added conversations would resume in the new year about finding a way to make it happen next Christmas.

"It is really heartwarming to know the village are behind us, but we really need to get that money in to possibly bring back not only the lights next year, but hopefully the parade back as well."

A town council spokesman said volunteers had "the freedom to operate in a way" the authority did not.

"When they asked for the lights back, we were very happy to return them. Thanks to the winter lights team for their hard work."

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