Great Harwood Winter Warmer saved - but scaled down

Organisers of Great Harwood Winter Warmer say they have been forced to revise this year’s plans after being unable to raise the £10,000 needed to stage the event.

The Winter Warmer is held to coincide with the town's Christmas lights switch and includes a torch-lit parade, carol singing, fancy dress and market stalls.

This year’s event, which takes place on November 28, has been moved to Holgate Street car park to avoid the additional expense of having to close roads in the town.

Barbara Sharples, who co-ordinates the fundraising, said: “It takes almost £10,000 to hold the event with a full road closure. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts since February, we have been unable to secure sufficient funding.

“Grant funding is much more difficult to obtain. The businesses that have usually been very generous have felt unable to make donations, many of the shops in the town don’t wish to make a financial contribution to the event either and the money raised from sale of raffle tickets is much less than in previous years.

“At the beginning of October we had to make some hard and disappointing decisions but we need to be realistic about what sort of event we can hold.” The alternatives were to cancel the whole event or put it back another year to 2009 whilst we try to raise more money.”

Janet Doyle, organiser, said: ”We have looked at alternatives to a full road closure and this year there will be a Winter Warmer Festival Market held on Holgate Street car park instead.

“We have looked at the car park and it is large enough to hold all the stalls. Having the stalls in one place will create a ‘market’ feel to the event and the stalls will be closer to the light switch on at Town Gate Square’.

Janet added: “We are still holding the fancy dress competitions and entry forms are available in shops and at the library. The torchlight parade will go ahead and any groups wishing to take part in the parade should get their forms in to us as soon as possible.”