In the early days the Christmas Lights in Alnwick were put up by the Town Council until the cost became to much to bear. The Chamber of Trade then took up the task of erecting Christmas Lights in Alnwick, which consisted of a few strings of lights decorating the Christmas Tree in the Marketplace and the trees on the cobbles. In 1984 the cost had become too high for the Chamber of Trade and they declined to put any more up; therefore, Christmas 1984 saw Alnwick without any Christmas Lights and the Town looked dull and cheerless. The following year, Melvyn Hornsby together with Alan Lawson and David Jackson, decided that they would put up some lights on behalf of the Chamber of Trade. The Market Traders decorated the trees on the cobbles, the tree in the Marketplace and strung lights from the flagpole of the Northumberland Hall. The next few years saw more lights in Alnwick, with some on the Hotspur Tower and more in the Marketplace. Funding came via a generous donation from the Town Council and extra labour came from the community. By the end of 1989 the job had become too big for the team and required professional help. Unfortunately, this again drove up the cost of the project beyond the resources of its supporters. By 1990 a new Christmas Lights Committee had been formed with Melvyn Hornsby as Chairman, David Jackson as secretary and Ray Farnsworth as treasurer. Made up of volunteers from the local community, it quickly expanded the display of lights round Alnwick, achieving within a few years a remarkable display.
The new committee was, and remains, funded almost entirely by public subscription through various fund raising schemes, but the Town Council continues to make a substantial annual donation .The first item purchased was Santa and his Reindeers, which are still mounted on the top of the Hotspur Tower each year. Within a few years the team were using ropelight to make their own displays, the first of which was The Snowman, who still waves to eveyone every Christmas from the Northumberland Hall. As expertise increased, so did the range and ingenuity of the displays, until now Alnwick has one of the most famous and original displays of christmas lights in the country, attracting thousands of people. As a service to retailers we also erect and dismantle rows of coloured bulbs round the entire town centre for Christmas, with more than a mile of lights going up each year. The team of 15 local people are all volunteers, totally independent and unpaid. Preparations begin in May and reach a fairly frantic conclusion before the switch on in late November, one of the highlights of the town's calendar.
Our workshop has been in several places around Alnwick over the years. We started out originally in the shed behind the Plough Hotel which was our home for many years. With more and more displays been made each year we needed a bigger place. We then moved to an empty unit on an industrial estate where we stayed for 2 years. However, very quickly we had to move to a derelict site on Howick Street where we stayed for a short time, followed by another move to the old Maltings buildings opposite Morrisons, then onto our current home.
All funding for the Alnwick Christmas Lights is raised locally. Alnwick Town Council has, from the earliest given a donation of £1000.00 to the Alnwick Lights and still do so. Other major contributors to the lights include Alnwick Roundtable and the Alnwick Lions, with many local businesses, Clubs, Charities and individuals providing generous support. A large raffle with prizes donated by local businesses is our largest single source of finance.
We start work on repairing and constructing displays around the end of April, meeting on Thursday evenings at about 7pm and continuing every week throughout the rest of the year. We always have a long list of requests for new diplays. Decisions on which displays we will constructed for the following year are made at our AGM and these new items are designed and constructed after all existing displays have been repaired.
It takes a minimum of 6 weeks to erect all displays and shop lights in and around Alnwick. Most of the work is done on weekends, especially Sundays, when traffiic is lightest. With Alnwick Town centre becoming busier each year it takes longer to erect the lights. Because displays are hung from high buildings and are suspended across roads where ladders are impossible to use, we hire an expensive hoist for which we obtain sponsorship from local businesses.
The switch on of the Alnwick Christmas Lights is on a Friday evening, 1 calendar month before Christmas Day. A variety of events take place in and around the Marketplace where the Lights are switched on. Alnwick is usually crowded with people packing into the centre of town waiting for the lights to come on. There is a fantastic atmosphere, and children, who have been busy at schools around Alnwick making presents and stars, hang their gifts on the Christmas Tree, accompanied by carol singers and music. After the lights are switched on Santa Claus pays a visit to the Marketplace to meet children (thanks to theAlnwick Lions). The lights remain on over Christmas and are switched off on the 12th night, then taken down.
The Alnwick Christmas Lights are well supported by local residents. We very much appreciate this, and look forward to their continued support for many years to come.
The Alnwick Christmas Lights is a completely voluntary group of individuals who give up their evenings and weekends to decorate the town of Alnwick with Christmas Lights every year. The smiles on the faces of the children and grown ups when the lights are switched on makes it all worthwhile.
