First Sunday of six for Town festive lights team
CHRISTMAS lights have started going up in St Peter Port and islanders will be able to enjoy three new features this year.
The installation takes place over six Sundays with seventh to deal with any problems.
St Peter Port Christmas Lights committee chairwoman Jax Robin said it was great to see them going up.
One change is there will be no blue and white star centrepiece in Church Square, after it stopped working last year.
‘A new centrepiece like that would cost £1,000 to £2,000 new,’ Mrs Robin said.
‘But I managed to find one for £490.’
Money has been tight for the committee this year, with a last minute plea for funding a few weeks ago finally getting the project to its target. Thanks to the committee’s careful eye for a bargain, there are three new pieces. A blue and white bauble has gone up in Church Square. There will also be a white spiral outside Boots and a smaller star outside Moore’s Hotel.
Mrs Robin said there had also been a programme of refurbishing the arrays. This costs about £500 each – about a quarter of the cost of replacing them – and so far about 24 of the 35-odd arrays had been worked on.
Mario Ferreira, from Event Group, was in charge of co-ordinating the installation, with help from Joanna and Bruno Anastacio.
Mr Ferreira has been helping with installing the lights for four years.
‘It’s a pleasure every year,’ he said. ‘It’s also a challenge every year, with the weather.’
The official lights switch on should take place on Saturday 27 November.
