Donate your old textiles to fund Portishead Christmas lights

PEOPLE across Portishead are being asked to dig out their unwanted clothes, shoes and handbags to raise money for the town's Christmas lights.

The Christmas Lights Committee is collecting unwanted textiles to sell to raise money for the illuminations.

The clothes are collected and then taken to Bristol Textile Recyclers warehouse where they are sorted through, with the lights committee being paid 40 pence for each kilo of clothes and other textiles collected.

Last year's textiles collection raised £800 towards the cost of the lights which stretch from the St Peter's Road roundabout at the end of the High Street right up to South Avenue.

The annual illuminations cost around £11,000 each year to maintain and erect.

The lights committee is also raising cash to cover the £14,000 to change from normal lightbulbs to LED bulbs.

The project to upgrade the bulbs is being done over three years.

Portishead Christmas Lights Committee treasurer, Barry Randall, said: "The clothes collection was really successful last year and raised us about £800 towards the lights.

"The people of Portishead really got behind the scheme and donated a lot of their unwanted goods and we hope they do the same this year."

Mr Randall added that the money raised would be split between the general running and maintenance of the lights and the project to upgrade the bulbs.

He added: "Normal bulbs cost in the region of 35 pence and the new LED ones cost £2.14 so we do have to raise a lot of money towards this project.

"The new LED bulbs will lead to cost savings in the long term as they last longer and are more energy efficient to run."

Around 11,000 bulbs are included in the annual display - described as the best festive illuminations in North Somerset.

Smaller trees are put up at shops along the High Street and a large tree, where people can sponsor a bulb in memory of a loved one, is placed on top of the Somerset Hall.

This year, for the first time, the committee is using solar power.

It is planning to light six of the 11 trees in the grassed central reservation at Wyndham Way using solar lights.

Mr Randall added: "We have been thinking about using solar power for the lights for a number of years so thought we would give it a go.

"The trees are now of a size where we can light them and we thought this would be a new feature in this year's display."

The team of volunteers, who took over responsibility for the illuminations from the council in 1974, raise thousands of pounds each year to put on the display.

This year's switch on will take place in the precinct on the High Street on November 28.

People can donate items including clothes, shoes, handbags, bedding and curtains to the collection, which is being co-ordinated by Dennis O'Neill.

To arrange collection call Dennis on 01275 843646.