They're on!

Photos kindly provided by www.aboutmyarea.com/SG18

When, Where and Who?

When?
Switch on day is Friday 4th December. The whole thing starts at 6:45pm.

Where?
It's in Biggleswade Market Square (of course)

Who?
Several people actually have their hand on the BIG switch, including young members of our carnival court and usally a 'celebrity'

We don't pay anyone to turn on our town lights, and this year is no exception. The celebrity has given their time for free, and the transport has been provided free by Alexanders Chauffeur Cars in Biggleswade.

This year our special guest is Nikki Grahame from Big Brother and her own show Princess Nikki

Loss of the last founder

It is with sadness, that we pay tribute to Horace Dilley, the last remaining co-founder of the Biggleswade Christmas Lights who died on Tuesday 10th November 2009

Horace was first elected as an officer of the Biggleswade Chamber of Trade on the 3rd March 1938 and played an active role ever since. He served as Secretary to the Chamber from then until 1986. He continued as Chairman after that and finally as President. His dedication and commitment to the commercial life of Biggleswade went far beyond what anyone could reasonably expect, and he engendered respect and friendship in everyone he met.

Along with Horace Gale he was instrumental in organising the first Christmas lights over forty years ago and worked tirelessly to ensure their continuation and improvement. Even though less involved more recently he was keen to be closely informed about the preparations for this year’s celebrations.

He remained actively involved in the work of the Chamber, guiding the members through the years, and regularly brought his experience to bear in assisting those more recently involved in business in Biggleswade. Because of his involvement in so many other aspects of life in and around Biggleswade and his consistently cheerful nature, he helped to smooth the path through a number of difficult situations for the Chamber. His combination of common sense and good humour coupled with a willingness to persist in finding the right solution to problems served its members well. He will be sadly missed.

A twinkle in the sky?

Have you noticed that the lights have started going up this year?

Jamie Harris from Harris's Funfair has already started work. We've inspected the lights, done our building to building assessment and have agreed what's being restored and what's new.

3 strings of lights that have been absent in recent years will be back. We've had to buy 3 new strings and quite a few replacement bulbs.

With the huge support from the public and local traders we've been
able to buy new led light strings to go round the roof eaves of Whiteman's building near Uk Chicken and the the same around Century House (the building where the buses turn on the town centre)

We've also bought an 8" x 4" Merry Christmas sign for the Market Square (See the picture above). All very exciting!

The switch on date is Friday 4th December!

Light Fantasic!

Well did we make the £5,000 deadline by the end of August?

Will the lights be going on this year?...

...Yes, and YEEEESSSSSSS, you wonderful people!

Are we all finished? Is there anything else to do? Can I sleep now?
Well yes there's still plenty to do, and yes you can have a short doze, but not for long, fundraising is still very much needed if we're going to keep the lights going for 2010 and beyond. Plus we want to keep improving and restoring the lights back to their former locations (where possible).

But, yes, we made the £5,000 before the deadline and the Chamber of Trade have agreed to resurrect their lights plans and get them up again this year.

What next?
Shops have between them invested in over £2,000 of raffle tickets to sell to us, their customers. They kindly pre-paid for the tickets to sell on to help us with the deadline of 31st August. Now we all need to visit shops showing the "Eddie" logo, buy Christmas Lights raffle tickets, and maybe even win ourselves some fantastic prizes. There are some great prizes already in the prize pot and the pot is growing. See our Raffle Prizes page on facebook.

Back to fundraising... Whilst we've raised enough money to get the lights back up in the town this Christmas 2009, what we'd really like to do is make things better than last year, and better each year.

How will we make the lights better than last year?

Well, in two ways hopefully.

Over the next couple of years we'd like to 'rewind the clock' (so to speak), and where still practically possible we'd like to get the lights back to their former glory in Station Road, Shortmead Street and Hitchin Street. If buildings still exist and brackets are still available or building owners are happy to help, we'll do what we can to bring lights back to where they were in years gone by.

Over the next two to three weeks there will be a building to building assessment throughout the town centre to find out what is possible this year, more news as we learn what we can and can't achieve this year.
Also this year, We'd like something new. Something that is visible in the town centre where you'll be able to say "I did that" (or at least, "I contributed to that"), who knows what but we're open to suggestions: See our Discussions on facebook.

So, over the next few months running up to the end of this year, fund raising will continue. Hopefully the drastic pleas for help with exhaustingly short deadlines and dramatic crying wolf stories are well and trully in the past. Instead we'll all be working together creating fun ways to help restore and improve the Biggleswade Christmas Lights. Check out official Biggleswade Christmas lights events here on our Events page on facebook.

Who said community spirit is a thing of the past? Certainly not in Biggleswade. Keep up the good work, and hopefully this year you'll see undeniable proof that the lights are heading in the right direction this year and for future years to come.

The website remains the first place to learn what's happening with our fundraising efforts and their direct effect on our wonderful Biggleswade Chrismast Lights.

Christmas Lights Fun Day

Maxwells have been working away and have come up with a fun day extravaganza to raise funds for the Biggleswade Christmas Lights.

When?: on Sunday 13th August from 10:00am.
Where?: it's at the new football club on the edge of Biggleswade as you head out to Langford.
What?.....

There's all kinds of activities for all ages and loads of opportunities to win great prizes.

Plus what promises to be a very entertaining football match of boys versus girls at 12:00pm. Click the poster on the right for more details

See you there

Meet Eddie...

Eddie is a Biggleswade Christmas Light Bulb. He's been around a while, but recently he thought his days were numbered. Eddie's mission is to save himself and his buddies.

You'll see Eddie appearing all over town over the next few weeks and months. Where you see Eddie, you'll know that you're looking at a shop, a pub, or a business that is helping save bulbs just like Eddie.

Watch out for the shops in town that proudly show Eddie.

Our Second Thousand

We've made it past our second £2,000 with just under four weeks time remaining to meet the £5,000 that's a brilliant three weeks fund raising!

Shops are responding well to pre-buying raffle tickets to sell to their customers, (tickets should be back from the printers mid-August).

The amazing Biggleswade public are starting to either put their hands in their pockets at fund raising events or are helping run their own events. If you'd like to hold a Biggleswade Lights fund raising event and want publicity, email events@biggleswade-lights.org

If you can't make it to any of the fund raising events why not just donate online right now?

Our first fundraiser superstar

Today a young lad of 15 called Aaron ran his "Soak-a-thon" event in the town centre.
He raised £71 for the Christmas lights in just 2 hours.

Well done Aaron!

Great News!

Tonight the Biggleswade Town Council voted to make a donation to the Chamber of Trade Christmas Lights of £4,000. That's an increase in their annual donation from last year of £1,000.

That's great news for the lights. The Council did discuss the future of the lights, and the concept of who owns the lights, so there's hope for this year, and hope for future years.

Our fund raising target remains the same. We'd really really love to see the lights improved this year, and each year. So, "Hurrah" for our local town Council, and "Keep it up!" to all you lovely fund raisers.

Fans of Biggleswade Christmas Lights

In under 2 weeks over 200 people have joined us as official fans of the Biggleswade Christmas Lights. If you click on the square to the right you can see these lovely people.

All of our discussions, events, comments and feedback from the people of Biggleswade are on our facebook fan page. You don't have to join or have a facebook account to take a look.

Help us spread the word. Why not forward our website address http://www.biggleswade-lights.org/ to your friends?

Already, people are making plans for their own fundraising events.
Please email fundraising@biggleswade-lights.org if you want your event publicised on our website and our facebook page.

Our first £1,000

We've made it past our first £1,000 with just under six weeks time remaining to meet the £5,000 that's a brilliant first week!

At the moment about £800 of that £1,000 is still pledges, rather than actual received cash donations. That's because about £500 of shop pledges are waiting on raffle tickets to sell to their customers and they're not back from the printers yet.

There are also about £300 in pledges received via text message after Bill, sent out a plea for £10's and £20's to all his mates. Now there are official collecting points, Bill will be following that up. Why don't you try the same thing, and then donate the proceeds online or drop the proceeds into Café Mocha?

Do you get your online donation refunded if we don't make the target and the lights don't go up? Yes, all online donations would be returned in full.

This Thursday a few of us meet in Biggleswade to brain storm a few fund raising ideas. Let me know if you'd like to join us: Help@biggleswade-lights.org

Donate online... Right now!

The online donation work is complete.
Just click the yellow 'Donate' button to securely donate using Pay-Pal.
You do not need a Pay-Pal account though, and can just pay via Credit or Debit card using this service.

Collection points for donations

Just to confirm our first official collection point for donations to the Biggleswade Christmas Lights appeal is:

Café Mocha
59 High St
Biggleswade
Beds
SG18 0JH

Please pop your cash donations in there.

Please email collect@biggleswade-lights.org if you'd like to act as a collection point.

Crying Wolf Again?

OK, so you've heard it all before. Is this the 3rd or 4th year running that the lights won't be going on?

Sadly this year, things are just a bit different. As I write, the lights belong to the Biggleswade Chamber of Trade. At the Chamber of Trade AGM on Monday 13th July, the executive announced they would not be running the Christmas Lights in 2009!

Fortunately, a handful of shop and pub owneres were present at the meeting, along with one Town Council member. Thankfully, a last minute reprieve was arranged, and the conditions are this....

If £5,000 can be raised before 1st September 2009, the Biggleswade Town Council will match funds and the combined money raised of £10,000 (yes a whopping £10,000 to get the lights up each year!), and the lights can be saved.

What next? Well it seems that with the excecption of a few very loyal shops, pubs and businesses, that the lights will need to be financially supported by the general public.

Should we debate "Who should pay?", well we could, but there's no time. If you want the lights, the question is, "Would you pay?" Many people have asked themselves that question, and thankfully the pledges are starting to trickle in.

Contact pledge@biggleswade-lights.org
or check out our face book Cause and Fan pages (see links below) for updates on progress so far.