A community group that aims to brighten up Christmas in the North Yorkshire Dales has been boosted by a grant from a housing association.

Bainbridge Christmas Lights was set up by Louise Alder and other volunteers with the aim of raising community spirits during the dark days of Covid.

“The village was looking very dark, especially around the green, and people hadn’t been getting out much,so we decided to try to bring a bit of sparkle,” said Louise.

The centre point of the village is the green and Louise and volunteers raised funds to buy Christmas lights to decorate what is known locally as the Manor House Tree.

The annual decorations have since spread to five locations across the village but using batteries to power them has proved costly, with volunteers having to raise over £500 a year to keep the lights burning.

Broadacres has now provided £450 from its Community Development Fund to help fund the digging of a trench and laying of cables to connect the lights to the village power grid.

“It is such a help to us now and in the future because using the grid will save us about £400 a year making the annual event more sustainable,” said Louise.

Each year the switch-on is a popular community event with carol singing and mulled wine on the village green. This year the switch-on is taking place on 7th December.

“Lots of people have commented on how they enjoy the lights. The green was very dark before and the lights make the whole village look more friendly,” said Louise. “We’ve even had praise from Bainbridge in the US who have seen photos on Facebook.”

To find out more search Bainbridge Christmas Lights – England on Facebook.

The Broadacres Community Development Fund supports local organisations, groups and projects in areas where Broadacres has homes. All grants are approved by the Association’s own residents.