Hoole Christmas Lights
We had a brilliant meeting last night and it was so great to see some local businesses represented
Address (Estate Agents) - weareaddress.com
Baba Guest House - babaguesthouse.co.uk
Totally Sound & Light - www.totallysoundandlight.co.uk
Ever wondered what goes into putting up the Hoole Christmas Lights each year — or how much it costs to make it happen?
Come along to our next Hoole Lights meeting on Wednesday 2nd September at 7:00pm, in the library at Hoole Community Centre.
Meet the committee and volunteers, find out what happens behind the scenes throughout the year, and hear more about the work that goes into bringing the Christmas lights to Hoole.
We’re now in the final stages of preparation for the 2026 Hoole Christmas Lights Switch-On, so if you’d like to take part in the event, help out, support our fundraising or get involved in any other way, we’d love to hear from you.
Got a fundraising idea? Bring it along too.
Can’t make the meeting, or have a question or idea you’d like us to discuss? Email chair@hoolelights.co.uk and we’ll get back to you after the meeting.
Important news about Hoole Lights
I have been helping with Hoole Lights for almost ten years, and along with my fellow councillor (Adam Langan who Chairs the committee) we have worked alongside a great bunch of residents to plan the event and get the lights up and on for the festive period each year.
Over the years that I have been involved the event has got bigger. It is now at the point where it is exceeding the agreed attendance limit. This is obviously an immediate safety issue and because we cannot physically stop someone from accessing the street to get to a business whilst the event is on, we have no control over numbers.
Even if we could control numbers, in order to continue to run the event we would need to increase security with professional event staff and this would increase the costs considerably.
Currently the lights are funded by the fundraising efforts of the committee and through the councillors community budgets when necessary. Over the years the costs have escalated to the point where now it costs over £10,000 to put on the event and put the lights up, on and down safely. This is a huge amount of money for a small group of residents to raise each year.
We need a new model. This year we have decided to try something different by hosting an event in partnership with the community centre. It will be on Saturday 15th November throughout the afternoon and evening, and it will be focused on Hoole. The event will take over the whole community centre with music, food and drink, rather than being on Faulkner Street and Charles Street. The idea is that we can run a safer event and raise the money on the night to pay for the costs of the lights going up and on.
These decisions have not been taken lightly, but last year I remember standing on the stage looking down the street to a sea of faces. We had lost children, crushing at the stage, people standing in Hoole Road as they couldn’t get on to the street. For the committee, who are liable for anything that goes wrong, there is a feeling that these are warning signs. The committee feels strongly that it would be negligent if it didn’t respond to these challenges proactively.
I understand that this change will be a surprise to some, but there will be plenty of new and exciting things on the night which will help restore the event to its community roots. I hope residents will continue to support the committee with these changes, so that we can keep the lights up and on for the community, and to support businesses on the high street throughout the Christmas period.
The committee is always open to new members and ideas, so do get in touch if you want to get involved with planning the event this year or events in future years.
Cllr Richard Beacham
Hoole Christmas Lights
Hoole Christmas Lights Group will hold its next meeting on Wednesday 2nd September at 7:00pm in the library at Hoole Community Centre.
With preparations now in their final stages for the 2026 Hoole Christmas Lights Switch-On in November, this is a great opportunity to come along, meet the committee and volunteers, and find out what goes into putting the lights and event together each year.
If you’d like to get involved with this year’s Switch-On, volunteer, support our fundraising or have an idea that could help Hoole Lights, we’d love to hear from you.
Hoole Christmas Lights Community Group has been bringing Christmas lights to Hoole for more than 25 years, with the support of local residents, businesses, volunteers and the wider community.
We meet regularly throughout the year and new faces are always welcome.
Come along on 2nd September, or contact us at chair@hoolelights.co.uk
Help Fund Hoole Lights
Hoole Christmas Lights is funded through the support and generosity of our local community, businesses and fundraising throughout the year.
Putting on the lights and Christmas celebrations costs more than £10,000 each year, covering everything from the displays themselves to installation, insurance, safety requirements and the many other costs involved in making the event possible.
Every donation, large or small, helps us keep Hoole shining at Christmas.
Donate online using the QR code or through our secure SumUp page:
https://pay.sumup.com/b2c/Q3QFRXXO
Thank you for supporting Hoole Christmas Lights.
How It All Began
At the end of July 1999, a small group of Hoole business people met to discuss an idea put forward by Councillor Noel McGlinchey: to bring Christmas lights to Hoole.
You could say the rest is history, but behind the lights is a wonderful community story — one built on local enthusiasm, generosity, hard work and people coming together.
Things really began to gather pace in September, when almost all of Hoole’s business owners and traders met to hear more about the financial and technical requirements involved in lighting up the area. With a fundraising target of £8,000, local businesses gave generously, both financially and through their time, ideas and enthusiasm. Fundraising events soon followed.
The people of Hoole responded with incredible generosity.
Just one week before the first Switch-On, there were still no electricity supply points in place. For anyone who has ever wondered what the small aluminium posts in the pavements of Charles Street and Faulkner Street are for — those are the electricity points installed for the lights.
Things were far from calm. Then, just two days before the Switch-On, Manweb arrived. With the big night fast approaching, there was still plenty left to organise.
When the night finally came, the weather was kind and nearly 900 people packed into Charles Street and Faulkner Street. Seeing so many people come together beneath the lights was a wonderful reward for everyone who had worked so hard to make it happen.
That first Christmas created a real spirit of co-operation across Hoole. It was a spirit that did not disappear when the decorations came down; it continued to grow, bringing businesses, residents and the wider community together.
Hoole has continued to benefit from that effort, generosity and community spirit ever since.
25 years later, we will light these streets again — and we hope you will all be there to celebrate this huge anniversary with us.
Hoole Lights Community