St Peter Port Christmas Lights urgently seeks volunteers to secure charity's future
Two key figures behind a charity which organises and funds St Peter Port's annual Christmas lights are urgently seeking volunteers to take over the reins.
Fundraisers Jax Robin, Chair, and Keith Robin, Treasurer of St Peter Port Christmas Lights, will retire from their roles at the charity by the end of September and are calling for volunteers to take on a series of roles and ensure this year's festive display in the town can go ahead.
Jax, who has also been nominated for the Fundraiser Award in BBC Guernsey's Make a Difference Awards 2024, explains : - "Having set up the charity eight years ago and carried on as acting Chair for the past year, it's time for Keith and me to hand over the reins to ensure that the Christmas lights continue to add some festive magic to our beautiful town this year.
"The Christmas lights really do create a buzz and festive atmosphere - and they also increase footfall for the retailers, so we're really keen that the display continues. Town simply wouldn't be the same without the lights at Christmas.
"It would be fantastic if we could get a small team in place to cover different roles, as many hands make light work! We need people who can cover different roles, from marketing and fundraising events to the charity's accounts and trustee rules and regulations."
The charity needs to raise around £60,000 each year to ensure the display goes ahead, along with having Santa's Parade and the lights switch on event. A significant amount is raised through donation envelopes, which are delivered by Guernsey Post to every household on the island, with the remainder coming from the £15,000 grant from Committee for Economic Development and other sponsorship.
Dawn Gallienne, Head of Corporate Engagement at Guernsey Post, said: - "Having supported the St Peter Port Christmas Lights charity for the past eight years, we're delighted to do so again in 2024, so please look out for our donation envelopes, which will be dropping through letterboxes during the week of 3 June.
"We have been overwhelmed with islanders' generosity - last year, around half of the fundraising target came through the donation envelopes, which is amazing and helped to ensure that the charity could create the town's magical sparkle once again."
Anyone interested in fundraising for the charity and taking on the vacant roles of Chair and Treasurer, Secretary or other roles should contact [email protected]