PEOPLE in Tullibody have kick-started a Christmas lights appeal to “end 2020 with a bang”.

There are hopes Tron Court will once again bathe in a festive mood with Tullibody Events group launching the appeal.

The coronavirus pandemic has been hampering fundraising efforts so far this year with the group deciding on an online appeal last week.

If the volunteers are unable to secure as much as £3,000, there will not be enough resources to put the lights and Christmas tree up in the town.

Janice Muirhead, one of the fundraisers at Tullibody Events, said: “Over the past few years we all have felt the benefit of having the Christmas lights up in Tron Court: our wee town looks amazing with the new Christmas lights and a huge Christmas tree.

“It has been fabulous to have this the last few years.

“The financial cost of maintaining the lights, the storage, putting the lights up and down each year, the cost of the insurance for the lights and the tree is very expensive and this year we have not been able to fundraise.

“Currently we don’t have the money to put the Christmas lights up again this year; 2020 has hit all the community groups hard as we have not been able to raise money.”

Official Christmas illuminations returned to Tullibody in 2018, after a hiatus that was longer than most townsfolk could remember.

There was an emotional switch-on event then with Emma Drysdale pushing the button.

This year, there were hopes to utilise Tullibody Civic Centre to raise funds with discos and similar in the lead up to the festive period and even before, but the Covid-19 lockdown has thrown the spanner in the works.

Janice added: “We have enough money left from last year’s fundraising for insurance and storage for one more year, but not enough to put the lights up.

“We are appealing to people of Tullibody to get behind our Light Up Tullibody campaign and help us create Christmas cheer this year.

“Let's end 2020 with a bang.”

People can visit bit.ly/2EXt6yl for the fundraising page or paypal.me/tullibody to donate to the appeal, which has already raised several hundred pounds by the time of writing.

Townsfolk looking to volunteer or offer support in any other way can email events@tullibody.org or message Tullibody Events on Facebook.