The Cottingham Christmas Lights now in its 28th year will be switched on by three children from within the village. One will be a member of the Cottingham Brownies who are celebrating the 100th Annivesary of the Brownie movement. and two children who are relatives of the Cottingham Lights members. The big switch-on of the illuminations for the much-vaunted festive-season spectacular takes place on Monday, November 23rd, at 7pm.
The youngsters will be accompanied on the switch-on rostrum, opposite the Memorial Gardens in Hallgate, by BBC Radio Humberside presenter Steve Massam, who lives in Cottingham, and who will be Master of Ceremonies - a duty he has undertaken for many years.
After switch-on night, the lights will be in daily operation from mid-afternoon until early January, but they will be switched on all day on Saturdays and on Christmas Eve.
After year-long planning, installation got underway in October, with Hull-based lifting services firm, Peter Hird and Sons Ltd., of English Street, assisting with hoists.
Although the displays this year have not changed significantly since 12 months ago, there has been further massive investment in the lights, which have become a crowd-pulling Christmas highlight and placed Cottingham under a bright and colourful spotlight in the much wider East Riding area in the last 28 years.
A large percentage of the cash injection has been on refurbishment and “unseen” maintenance work including cabling and re-wiring, welding repairs carried out by Les Fisher free of charge. A total of £2,500 has been spent on new lamps and festoons. £3,000 has been spent on refurbishing the Father Christmas festoon above Crafty Creations and Curtain Creations. To meet increasingly stringent health and safety requirements, renewal of power supply cables and wiring which carries the festoons - the straps of lamps which criss-cross the streets - has also been a major and costly project. All scaffolding has been donated by Alan and Shirely Reid of B. A. Scaffolding.
The hi-tech, energy-saving lamps offer a five-colour sequence change and produce a flowing wave-like effect from the traffic-lights junction to George Street.
As well as adding to the spirit of Christmas and the New Year, it is hoped that, as in past years, the illuminations, which are concentrated on the main village-centre shopping areas - and overlooked from the east by the floodlit towering St Mary’s parish church - will again attract visitors and shoppers to Cottingham from throughout the Hull and the East Riding region and even further afield.
In addition to grants from the Cottingham Parish Council to each of the three sections - King Street and West End, as well as Hallgate - additional money has been raised from a series of regular annual activities. They include a golf tournament, bingo sessions, a Christmas raffle, as well as a stall, operated by the West End Section, on the village’s Thursday Market.
There will be a new feature on the roofs of the Chinese and Indian take-away restaurants in Hallgate, but no one has been let in on the secret of what this will be so look out for the new feature.
Carols and other festive-season music, commencing at 6.30pm, will be provided by ex-members Cottingham Band on switch-on night when, in addition to a wide variety of side-shows and charity stalls throughout the village, there will be children’s fairground rides in Hallgate and on the Market Green, where the trees will be festooned with festive-season lighting.
Street sellers have again been asked to apply for a “Cottingham Lights Official Hawker” badge, and officials have has appealed for the public to buy items only from the official hawkers displaying their officla badge.
Also making a return this year will be the KCFM Radio’s promotional vehicle - and stage - which took part in Cottingham Day 2009 celebrations.
Based outside the Duke of Cumberland Hotel on the Market Green, one of the station’s presenters will compere the activities - including music and competitions for which there will be prizes - led by the promotion team, who will mingle with the crowds and also collect money to donate to the lights fund.
“We will interact with the people of Cottingham and our emphasis will be on enhancing what is always a brilliant event”, said Sarah Harrison, Marketing and Events Manager for KCFM, which broadcasts to Hull and East Yorkshire.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, village-centre road closures and parking restrictions will be in operation. Parking will not be allowed on the Market Green after 3pm. Hallgate will be closed at 5.00 pm and other road closures, from 6pm until 9.30pm, or at the discretion of the police, will be: Hallgate (from Arlington Avenue to West Green); the George Street junction with Hallgate; King Street, from the junction with Finkle Street to Somerfield’s car park, which will be open.
There will also be many Craft and other stalls in the Cottingham Civic Hall on the Market Green.
The Cottingham Neighbourhood Policing Team, said that, throughout the event, police officers and PCSOs, in high-visibility uniform, will patrol on foot to provide the public with reassurance and to prevent any public disorder or alcohol-related incidents. The principle intentions are to ensure the safety of persons attending the event and to control the traffic, minimising any inconvenience caused to the general public and other road users.
Officers will deal with any incident promptly and efficiently to minimise disruption to the event and reduce danger to the public, he stressed.
So come and enjoy, probably the best Christmas Lights in the area.
About Cottingham 
