Switch-on boosts ‘feelgood factor’ (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Switch-on boosts ‘feelgood factor’

8:10am Saturday 4th February 2012 in Local By Jo Winrow

New figures have revealed more than £500,000 was spent by Bradford Council on Christmas lights and switch-on events in the city centre over the last three years.

Each year, the cost of refurbishing and maintaining the festival lights, as well as the thousands of bulbs required and their annual installation, reaches around £121,000. In 2011 special LED lights for the civic Christmas trees resulted in electricity costs dropping by 20 per cent, to £4,800.

In addition £52,000 was spent on the celebration event in Centenary Square, as well as an ice sculpture trail and street theatre in the city centre. In the previous two years this was £40,500 in 2010 and £49,000 in 2009. It follows moves in recent years to not book a celebrity to switch on the city’s Christmas lights, instead creating a family show in the afternoon.

Vanessa Mitchell, the Council’s events manager, said: “We took a move about four years ago to change the style of event to attract more families. We wanted to encourage them to shop and eat in the city centre so we moved the switch on from a Thursday night to a Saturday and created activities throughout the city centre for the whole day.

“The show has been no less spectacular than if we had a celebrity and I believe we have become far more creative.”

She added: “All cost factors are taken into account when organising events like the Christmas lights. The fee for a celebrity appearance is included in that consideration.”

Councillor David Green, the Council’s executive member with responsibility for culture, said the constant figure for the lights themselves showed the Council was not spending extra on new displays each year.

He said the event brought a much-needed boost to the local economy.