AS the only person to be involved in York's Christmas lights for at least the last six years I must take issue with you over the editorial 'Dim view of Christmas' (September 26).

The writer says the technology for a high-tech display of computerised images on the walls of prominent buildings was "simply not up to it... and the project collapsed". This is not the case; the Christmas projections in 1997 were a tremendous success but the funding was attached to a parallel photographic project and it was the photographic display that was ill-conceived and which failed embarrassingly.

When funding for the photographic project was then withdrawn, so too were the Christmas projections.

I did, however, bring back the Christmas projections the following year when I worked alongside Lord Mayor Coun Derek Smallwood.

We had a very popular display projected on to Clifford's Tower for six weeks from 'switch on' to Twelfth Night.

It is only funding that has prevented a return of the high-tech display in the city centre in recent years although Monks Cross Shopping Park has used the same technology to project Christmas lights for the last three years.

I hope the months of hard work put into York's Christmas lights this year by a voluntary committee bring to the city the best yuletide display to date.

Equally, I hope the writer of the comment column is fair enough to reverse his negative view of this issue and give credit where it is due.

Mark Brayshaw,

Rockin' Horse Promotions,

Fewston Drive,

Clifton Moor,

York.

Updated: 10:55 Friday, October 04, 2002