Whitchurch’s renowned Christmas lights will brighten up the village after “amazing” £5,000 fundraising effort
Whitchurch will have its annual Christmas lights display this year following a fundraising effort by Christmas at Whitchurch, which began on November 5 and raised £4,498 to fund the Christmas lights campaign.
When Christmas at Whitchurch’s JustGiving page reached its fundraising target, the volunteers said in a Facebook post: “We thought it was too much to ask of the businesses in Whitchurch to raise the minimum £5k needed. The public asked to help, so we agreed to attempt to light up the village in what has been a very dark year.
“The support amazed us; the community generosity meant we raised the funds literally overnight.”
Even after the money was raised, organisers were unable to confirm that the lights would be switched on while they tried to find a contractor available to install the lights. This led to the MP and Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North writing a letter to Councillor Huw Thomas, the leader of Cardiff Council.
Anna McMorrin MP confirmed on Twitter that Centregreat, an infrastructure services provider, “has now agreed to install the lights and we’re confirming details of when.”
The MP told The Cardiffian: “The prospect of not seeing Whitchurch village light up this year understandably caused a great deal of concern and disappointment among the local community who, even during this challenging time, pulled together to fundraise for the lights.
“Businesses have really struggled this year and will really benefit from a festive, welcoming atmosphere in the village. Julie and I will continue to work with the local community to ensure Christmas comes to Whitchurch.”
Julie Morgan MS said: “People from the community had given generously – despite this being a very difficult year for many – so Anna and I stepped in as soon as we were made aware of the problems the organisers were facing. There was a very real possibility that donations may have had to be returned.
“It really is important that this year, over any other, we can bring some Christmas cheer to shoppers and local traders.”
Whitchurch’s Christmas lights are usually funded and organised by local businesses and are marked by a switch-on event. Last year, the switch-on event took place on November 17 on Merthyr Road, which runs through the centre of Whitchurch.
