HELP OBAN SHINE THIS YEAR
Critics of Oban’s 2021 Christmas lights are being invited to put their money – and support – where their mouth is.
Improving the lights and putting on a brighter, more colourful and merrier festive display for 2022 will cost £20,000.
To make it happen and make sure it receives public approval, the town needs a group of volunteers with exciting ideas and fundraising experience, Oban Community Council heard at its Zoom meeting this week. The rallying call from BID4Oban’s chief executive Andrew Spence is also going out to the ‘vocal critics’ who expressed a dim view of the 2021 lights on social media and around town.
‘We want to improve the lights for 2022, however this will need substantial funding of £20,000. They are not cheap! The town needs a group of like-minded individuals with ideas and fundraising experience to make this happen - and that includes vocal critics of the 2021 lights.
‘BID4Oban can help and facilitate as this is essential for the town, but we need to have a group in place by the end of March so equipment can be purchased by June 2022,’ Mr Spence said, warning: ‘Unless we have a plan and put those orders through in June, we are potentially going to be in the same place this Christmas.’
Thousands of pounds had to be raised at short notice last year to light up the town and replace existing lights that were past their best and decommissioned, but a late order for more snowflakes and festive swirls failed to arrive in time for the switch-on.
Donations from Oban Common Good Fund, Oban Community Council, West Highland Housing Association and BID4Oban bought the batch of latest
Continued from page 1. lights but this year needs a crowdfunding appeal and it needs to start without delay, community councillors were told.
The final funding for Christmas lights from Argyll and Bute Council was used up in 2020, leaving it up to the town to raise any money needed.
A lot of Christmas lights are made outside of the country. An alternative could be that a lot of the existing equipment, which is over 10 years old could be refurbished, ‘but if we want the town looking bright, colourful and festive we have to put our hand in our pocket,’ said Mr Spence at the meeting.
‘We need a way forward, we need people to get together and support us very, very quickly. Time is of the essence. I will also be contacting some of the critics who were on Facebook so we can deliver something that’s fit for purpose,’ he added.
If all goes to plan and the £20,000 is raised, the lights would go up in late October ready for the November switch-on.
Can you help? Contact Andrew Spence at the BID4Oban office in Stevenson Street. You can also email him at andrew.spence@bid4oban. co.uk or call him on 01631 569915.
Lack of street lighting in the town centre casting Argyll Square and Station Square into darkness, as well as the plug being pulled on coloured lights round the harbour was also up for discussion at Monday’s community council meeting, with members of the public urged to raise street lighting complaints with the council to try and hurry along fixes.
According to community council convener Marri Malloy, Argyll and Bute’s head of economic development, Fergus Murray, said it would be spring before the muchloved harbour lights, which are currently turned off, could be switched on again.