WORK on Barnard Castle’s festive lights display is continuing despite uncertainty over this year’s Christmas illuminations.
Volunteers are facing a mountain of red tape and extra work if the town’s lights are to go ahead as planned.
Members of the Barnard Castle Christmas Lights Group and the town’s volunteer workers were out laying cables last week to ensure trees on Galgate greens could carry displays as in previous years.
Roger Peat, a member of the lights group and convener of the workers, explained: “We can’t have a 240v supply in the trees on Galgate greens, so everything has to be 24 volts.
“The Memorial Tree and two others, which will be fitted with the white globes, are being changed from 240v to 24v.
“We also cannot string wire from one tree to another, so we are going underground,” he added.
While the wiring work was being carried out, other volunteers took to the Remembrance Garden, in Galgate, to carry out weeding and a general spruce up of the area.
Having completed the work in Galgate, the Christmas lights group is turning its attention to the town centre.
The group is still waiting to hear whether listed building permission will be granted to allow electricity sockets to be installed on 11 properties in the conservation area.
Permission is required after the lights group was told by Durham County Council it could no longer take the power supply for the illuminations from lampposts.
Eleven property owners came forward after a public appeal for an alternative power source.
Mr Peat added: “We also now have to go to 126 properties to seek permission to put fixings and lights on their buildings as we are going to have alter the lights.
“We also have to do a risk assessment on the lights.”
The group will also find out next week if its application to Teesdale Action Partnership for a £20,000 grant to cover the cost of all the extra work associated with the Christmas lights has been approved.
However, Mr Peat said the lights group was remaining positive.
“It looks as if we are going to get there,” he said.
