Tewkesbury Christmas Lights fund receives a boost from kind hearted local resident

The Tewkesbury Chamber has been awarded £1,500 by Gloucestershire Market Towns Forum under the Trade Local Campaign Grant scheme which is funded by Gloucestershire County Council through the county's economic Taskforce GlosFirst.  

This grant will be used to part fund this year's Christmas lights in the town, and the Big Switch on event which costs circa £10,000 per annum to run.  The Chamber has through its volunteers and contractors organised the town's Christmas lights for many years on behalf of both its members and local retailers to ensure the town is an attractive place to shop at what is hoped to be one of the busiest times of the year for traders and the local tourist economy generally.

The Chamber has also been awarded £500 for this year's event by Tewkesbury Town Council under their own grant scheme but further fundraising during the year will be necessary to ensure the Chamber can meet the rising costs of maintaining and insuring the lights, meeting the costs of expensive replacement light bulbs and the hiring of specialist equipment (including a cherry picker).  The Chamber also has to find the funds to pay for a qualified electrical subcontractor to erect the lights.

How can you help?

Donations from local businesses are always welcome.  If you are able to make a donation, please send your cheque made payable to "TCC&I - Christmas Lights" and send it to The Treasurer, Sarah Costello-Byrne Crowther Beard 1a Church Street, Tewkesbury GL20 5PA

Book of Poems to boost Christmas Lights Fund

Kind hearted local resident, Lynne Toombs, has put pen to paper and published a book of poems.  Profit from the sale of her book will be donated to the Christmas Lights Fund.   The book containing 34 poems is priced at £10 and is available to buy from Tewkesbury Abbey shop, Guideposts Charity Shop in the High Street and The Jelly Roll Café in Barton Street.

It's a fantastic achievement for Lynne to see her work in print.  She is truly inspirational as suffering from Parkinson's disease,  it has brought with it a few extra challenges and hurdles for her  along the way. 

You can find Lynne busily book signing on Saturday at the café between 12 noon and 4 pm.  We are sure the book will make a great gift (may be an early Christmas present purchase?).

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To contact the Chamber email tewkesburychamber@gmail.com