SHOPS and businesses in Horwich are being encouraged to help brighten up the town this Christmas.

Horwich Town Council will be financing a Christmas lighting scheme for the town centre and are asking local traders to put up Christmas trees outside their premises.

For the past two years about 40 businesses have taken part in the scheme, and once again Bolton Council's Tourism and Marketing section are offering subsidised brackets and lights for outdoor Christmas trees which are available to business premises within the borough.

For just £20 business people can have a tree bracket fitted and a set of outdoor lights provided on condition that they agree to buy a tree every year, put it up by December 1 in time for the official Christmas lights switch-on, and provide the power for the lighting. The normal cost of the tree bracket and lights is £57.86. Anyone who wishes to take advantage of the offer should send an agreement form, which they should have already received, together with a cheque for £20 made payable to Horwich Town Council by Friday November 1.

Christmas trees can also be ordered at a cost of £9.

This year the council plans to spend more than £5,000 on Christmas lighting, and provided it receives a contribution from Bolton Council, should have a surplus on the budget figure which will be carried forward to next year to provide a bigger and better display.

The civic Christmas tree lightening ceremony and carol service will be held at the Crown roundabout on Friday, December 6.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.