Volunteers Restore Christmas Lights to Windermere After Council Logistical Issues

Local volunteers have successfully installed festive lights in Windermere, ensuring their presence for Christmas. The Windermere and Bowness Town Council had initially committed to putting up the lights this year but faced logistical challenges that prevented their installation. The volunteers mobilized at the eleventh hour, installing the lights on Sunday, motivated by their disappointment at the Lake District town lacking its customary festive illumination. Volunteer Nic Hastie stated, “We didn’t feel Windermere felt Christmassy and the lights do make a big difference.” The council expressed that it was “really pleased” by the installation of the lights. For several years, this volunteer group has contributed to Windermere’s Christmas festivities by setting up the lights and organizing a parade and fireworks display. In prior years, the council had allocated funds to these events, citing diminishing financial resources. Mrs. Hastie, however, indicated that the council’s financial contributions had not kept pace with increasing costs, rendering it impractical for the volunteers to persist with their efforts. The town council had previously stated that after committing to install the lights, it became apparent that health and safety regulations rendered the process “more complicated than we imagined.” Mrs. Hastie reported that volunteers received feedback from residents expressing dissatisfaction with the absence of lights. She commented, “To be honest, we all did feel going down the village ourselves, it was just not the same and as soon as we mentioned it, the team did jump in.” Mrs. Hastie further emphasized that the lights were “100% safe.” She clarified that the difficulties faced by the town council stemmed from the requirement for installation by a professional company employing a cherry picker, in contrast to the volunteers’ method of using ladders. She added, “I want to put everyone’s mind at rest – those lights are 100% safe, they are 100% safely anchored and they have never changed from any of the years they have been going up.” She mentioned that the community’s response had been exceptional, and the positive comments validated their endeavors. She also stated that discussions would recommence in the new year to determine a method for ensuring the lights are present next Christmas. “It is really heartwarming to know the village are behind us, but we really need to get that money in to possibly bring back not only the lights next year, but hopefully the parade back as well.” A spokesperson for the town council remarked that volunteers possessed “the freedom to operate in a way” that the authority did not. “When they asked for the lights back, we were very happy to return them. Thanks to the winter lights team for their hard work.”