CASTLE Douglas is dreaming of a light Christmas. For the ones they used to know could be a thing of the past ... at least this year. Darkness is threatening to descend on the town as the festive season illumination cash fund dries up. King Street is usually awash with colourful Christmas cheer. But this year the £1,700 normally spent on the lights is simply non existent according to the town’s community initiative which works hard to raise the funds. Now an appeal for help has gone out to the public and local businesses. Initiative treasurer Martin Fortnum said: “It is extremely disappointing as right now bringing the lights to the town this year looks unlikely. “A substantial amount of money is required to rent everything and cover the different costs. “The community initiative just does not have that level of funding available. “We have worked hard all year to try and find funding, addressing different ways to bring lights in. “We are facing a very short time to try and get something sorted now.” The town’s six year Christmas lights’ contract with Blachere Illumination has just expired. Alternative possibilities are being explored in a race against the clock to try and find other suppliers. Initiative chairman, Jimmy Robertson still hopes something can be organised. He said: “There are various health and safety checks that we have to go through before anything can go up. “The contract we had with the company who supply the lights finished last year and now we are trying to address other ways to bring lights and decorations to Castle Douglas. “It would be a very dull place this Christmas without the lights and I don’t think anyone in the town would like to see it that way. I am still hopeful that we will come to some sort of arrangement to ensure that the town does not miss out.” Councillor Brian Collins believes that it would be a major blow to the town and the local economy. He said: “It would be very disappointing if the town was to miss out on having the festive lights and decorations. “Castle Douglas has become a very popular shopping centre in recent years with people from across the region and beyond. “From a purely commercial perspective it would be an extreme blow as the festive season is one of the high points of the commercial year. “We have gone to the brink in previous years with this issue and I believe that serious questions have to be asked of the council in terms of funding across the region, not just in Castle Douglas.” And colleague Peter Duncan said it “would be a great shame” to be left in the dark. He said: “We have to be flexible in terms of what the expectation is for the display. “The process has incurred major costs in previous years for safety and security checks to ensure that it is safe to hang the lights on the brackets. “It is important that alternative options are looked at, such as something like a big single Christmas tree could be more do-able and require less financially.” Would you like to help to ensure that Castle Douglas has its Christmas lights this year? Contact Andrew Burns on 01387 240355. | 
