Festive lighting will be delivered in Oban and Tobermory by local organisations in 2018.
Funding for BID4Oban and Tobermory Christmas Lights Committee (CLC) was agreed by Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee recently.
BID4Oban has been allocated £9,000, to commission a suitable contractor to put up the lights, test and maintain them as well as remove them at the end of the season. It will also take on organisation of the highly anticipated ‘switch-on’ event.
Tobermory CLC has taken the lead on festive lighting in the town for a number of years, with support from the council, both financial and in kind.
A grant of £3,000 will cover maintenance, repair and replacement of damaged features, as well as getting the lights up and ready for the festive celebrations.
Any money left in the OLI festive lighting fund will be carried over to 2019. The council has already agreed to gift these funds to any group that makes a formal agreement to take on long-term responsibility for festive lighting in the area. The carry-over would be split, pro rata, based on the number and type of features previously used in each town or village. If no agreements are made, the money can be bid for in a normal grant process.
Andy Spence, of BID4Oban, said: “BID4Oban is delighted to be working closely with Argyll and Bute Council and our local contractor Oban Electrical Services (OES) to ensure the safe installation of Oban’s festive lights. This is the first year that BID4Oban has been involved in securing partnership funding for a project of this size. We look forward to developing this project over the coming years.”
Councillor Elaine Robertson, chair of Oban, Lorne and the Isle Area Committee, said: “We are very grateful to BID4Oban and to Tobermory CLC for working with the council to find a more sustainable way of lighting up our communities over the festive season.
“It’s no secret that we have to find a different way of doing this. ‘We welcome this approach and look forward to enjoying very positive partnerships and many sparkling festive seasons.’