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It's just great to see festive light


By Tanya McLaren



THE switch-on of the Forres Lights Displays traditionally starts the Christmas countdown with the hope that shops, restaurants and local services will see the benefit in the run-up to the big day, lighting up their tills with festive cheer.

The lights are on and hopes are high that tills in Forres will be ringing with festive cheer
The lights are on and hopes are high that tills in Forres will be ringing with festive cheer

Saturday’s Festive Forres event certainly brought a few extra people into the town centre at a time when they would normally be elsewhere. Despite other events happening elsewhere in Moray, it was well supported by local people with lots of children turning out in fancy dress to meet Santa and to take part in the torchlit parade throughout the town, all hoping to win first prize to flick the switch on the lights displays.

Lots of singing and festive cheer was enjoyed by all and a big thank-you must go out to all the tireless volunteers who work every year to arrange such a great occasion. This year there was a bit of extra help with volunteers from the Fair deal for Forres Area campaign, who thought the event deserved a bit of an extra push to help put Forres on the map for its Christmas event. Lots of lessons were learnt and planning is already underway to make 2012 even better.

The good turnout and goodwill of those who went along, showed that the strength of Forres is in the spirit of the town and its people.

That goodwill is being called on next week by the Rotary Club of Forres who are putting their Santa Sleigh on the road, but need volunteers to help with the sleigh, with the event helping to collect for needy causes and making sure that Father Christmas gets to meet all the boys and girls.

That’s enough of Christmas for now, bah humbug, but on the subject of celebration the Findhorn Foundation are entering their 50th year, and according to members, still keeping the spiritual teachings of founder, Eileen Caddy at heart. Fifty years is a long time, for an organisation that almost started by accident, but has gone the distance.

Speaking of going the distance, the letters page is again filled with FACT (Forres Area Community Trust) as local people give their opinion on last week’s letter, which expressed concern about the organistaion. The sooner, the group’s clear goals are established and project workers are employed to set about ‘animating’ Forres, with a view to ‘creating a vibrant town’ which was their mission statement, the clearer things will become. After all, they have the backing of Highlands and Islands Enterprise and if Forres is to benefit, from the funding, it needs to work with the group to establish a proper way forward and let organisers know what local people want.

HIE themselves are under scrutiny this week with their plans to site a Bronze statue of a Tornado aircraft, costing £48,500 at the entrance to the Forres Enterprise Park. Questions are already been asked about the choice of aircraft and the spend, which comes at a time as we in Forres prepare to wave goodbye to the RAF at Kinloss and welcome the Army.

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