This year the Angarrack Christmas Lights will be 40 years old! Happy Birthday to us
The concept started in 1986 when a few of the villagers got together to create lights and displays in their own and neighbours’ gardens. They soon moved into the streets and strung lights along the roadside.
The displays, designed and made in the village, have developed along the years, starting with coloured bulbs attached to wooden frames wrapped in tinsel and developing into the more modern animated displays we enjoy now.
You can read more about the history here https://angarrack.info/content/angarrack-christmas-lights
We want to celebrate what the founders of our fantastic Lights have created, so between now and the end of October we will feature every Lights that belongs to Angarrack Christmas Lights as well as some of those that are privately owned but are still a vital part of the village scene
Today we are saying thank you to Joan Cook and June Barrett helped by Jackie Reece, John Humphries and the other early organisers who decided to brighten up their village all those years ago.
Here is a memory from one of the people involved at the start of the lights, Malcolm Bryant.
“Joan and June started the lights. The second-year Joan was given some second-hand lights from Camborne; Joan asked me to help her put the lights on the road bridge in the village. When putting up these lights we found wires with insulation missing, I realised we had to form a committee and make sure we had an electrician on board with us. The following year we formed the lights committee, June had passed away by that time and we made Joan a life member. I have no photos of switch on night. I expect this was due to the fact that by 22.00 hrs I did not know if it was Easter or Christmas. Regards Malcolm”
Debbie Waller remembers
“Jim Thornton was Chair and so was Helen Humphries, I can’t remember who was first. Joan was honorary president after a couple of years; Sylvia Hicks was on the Committee and, eventually, her husband Graham. I was on the first committee, Roy joined later. Gerald Carolyn and Malcom were eventually on the committee. Robert Marks also chaired for a while then I took it on.”
These are just a few of the people involved, we would love to hear about anyone else.
If you have any early memories or photos please get in touch.
