FUNNYMAN Ken Dodd will again turn on Leigh's electric lightshow.

And he will help ensure the coming Christmas and Millennium illuminations will be the best for miles around. "This year's additions to last year's successful show mean we are on the way to rivalling Blackpool," said light-up-Leigh co-ordinator and Leigh Town Centre Management Group chairman Cllr Brian Jarvis.

"All we need is Xanadu to match the Tower!"

Tussle-haired national comic hero Doddy will be in town on November 27 to trip the lights fantastic.

"And this time everybody will be able to see him," assured Cllr Jarvis.

"Last year it wasn't fair. A lot of families with kids couldn't see him in Bradshawgate.

"He will switch on the lights from the Town Hall balcony and I'm sure everyone will be delighted with the show. "We've spent an additional £22,000 on this year's selection with extra displays throughout town. That means the cost of installing and maintaining the illuminations will come to a total of £80,000 for the past two years."

Extra funding has come following Cllr Jarvis's successful lobbying of council colleagues with Brighter Borough funding of £4,000 coming from each of the Leigh wards - Hope Carr, Leigh Central, Leigh East, Bedford/Astley, and £2,000 apiece from Hindley Green and Leigh Business Partnership plus £1,000 from Spinning Gate and the same from miscellaneous contributions.

Cllr Jarvis promised: "It will be a fantastic show.

"The Town Hall will be bathed in a very impressive, giant curtain of light with an animated angel and a Christmas Tree.

"We've really splashed out and on top of the building will be an animated champagne bottle with exploding cork.

"The message will be 'Welcome to Leigh: Merry Christmas' changing to 'Welcome to Leigh 2000' for the New Year."

It promises to be a bumper end-of-century show building on last Christmas's super display with additional lights strung across King Street, Railway Road and Market Street.

But extra attention will be focused on the refurbished civic square, the obelisk, Town Hall buildings, the area of Market Street around the Parish Church and Lord Street. The Town Centre Management Group is arranging a host of attractions in Saturday's run-up to Doddy's tea-time turn-on, including a Father Christmas reindeer tour in conjunction with Spinning Gate businesses.

Cllr Jarvis beamed: "The lights in Leigh this year will surpass anything in any other town centre in the borough."

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