Can we avoid a black Christmas?

The Christmas Lights Committee warned that garlands and strings of lights would not appear across the street unless major cash backers came forward immediately.

It said it needed £60,000 to repeat last year's display and £100,000 to improve it, but currently had absolutely nothing in the fund.

There will be a Christmas tree, and pea lights in Parliament Street and Duncombe Place.

But committee chairman Frank Wood said cash-strapped City of York Council had confirmed it could not afford to do anything else, other than pay for storage and maintenance of the lights.

The crisis had also been sparked by two other funding pressures:

Chain stores are refusing to contribute to the fund - the whole of Coney Street put nothing in to the kitty last Christmas.

No major sponsor has come forward to replace Nestle Rowntree, which backed the 2004 and 2005 lights but will not be able to help this year.

He stressed the money was not needed to pay for new lights but to erect and dismantle the existing ones, with huge costs for testing and ensuring they met strict health and safety standards.

"It's very disappointing and depressing," said Mr Wood.

"The account stands at zero. It's now very unlikely we will be able to have the traditional garlands across the street, unless benefactors come forward now. We should be preparing at this time for 2007, not 2006."

Mr Wood said other ideas might now be looked at, for example, arranging for three-foot Christmas trees to be supplied to city centre traders to hang on brackets from their walls and illuminate with fairy lights.

A high-class grotto, or a Minster lighting scheme like that put on by French lighting artist Patrice Warrener last autumn have also been suggested as possible festive attractions, although finance remains the key issue for any Christmas plans.

Coun Quentin Macdonald, executive member for resources at the council, said that under current financial pressures - and with other organisations having their funding cut - the authority just could not justify increasing its support for Christmas lights.

"The question is: who can fund it? The problem is that the big multiples will not support a local scheme, because they would have to do it for every other place in the country."

Asked why other local authorities such as Leeds and small towns and villages could lay on a massive display of lights but York could not, he said cities like Leeds had the advantages of economies of scale, while a small band of enthusiasts in small towns and villages could work together to light up their communities.

MIKE LAYCOCK examines the history of York's Christmas illuminations - and sees how other cities, and even villages, manage to sparkle

IT was the early 1960s, and York city centre was a dark and dull place in the run-up to Christmas.

Then traders in Goodramgate decided it was time to let there be light. They strung huge chandeliers above the street and, for the first time, shoppers could enjoy festive illuminations as they went about buying their Christmas presents. It might have been the start of a long and glorious festive tradition for York city centre. But it was in fact just the beginning of a seemingly endless series of rows, wrangles and crises that are no nearer to being resolved after 40 years.

In 1966, plans were drawn up for illuminations across the centre, with York Corporation promising to contribute £4,000. But York Chamber of Trade and Commerce shelved the plans because nobody was prepared to take responsibility for doing the work.

By 1969, the big stores were being branded Scrooges for the distinctly unfestive appearance of York. The Coney Street Traders Association said the multiples and big groups, asked to contribute to a fund to light up the street, were "just not interested." Columnist John Blunt said York looked like Cinderella before anyone hinted she might go to the ball..."dreary, drab and miserable."

In 1984, York Tourist Development Association blasted council red tape for killing off a scheme to bring lights to Parliament Street, Church Street and Goodramgate, after engineers ruled that the display would not comply with proper standards.

The following year, the York Illuminations Board started fundraising to turn York into a fairytale city at Christmas, with the council pledging to match every £2 raised by the board with a £1 donation, and by November a staggering £20,000 had been raised. Lights then went up in St Sampson's Square, Lendal, Blake Street, Parliament Street, Goodramgate and Shambles.

In 1988, the Evening Press proclaimed that York stood alone as the Scrooge of Christmas lights, facing a festive season without lights. More rows followed until, in 1995, traders in Goodramgate - where it had all begun some 30 years before - were so underwhelmed by the council's Christmas lights that they raised thousands of pounds to bring back another dazzling display of lights in their own street. Their efforts were led by Sally Smith, then landlady of the street's Royal Oak.

By 1997, York had a real Christmas lights fiasco on its hands. An innovative city centre light show featuring lasers and spotlights had to be switched off less than a week after they were switched on.

In 1998, when Councillor Derek Smallwood was Lord Mayor, he launched a Christmas light appeal to ensure the city sparkled like never before. Launched with a £1,000 donation from the Evening Press, it raised more than £20,000, with the sum matched by another £20,000 from the council. But not every Lord Mayor since then has shown the same enthusiasm for the lights.

In 2004, the Evening Press launched a Make York Sparkle campaign, and Nestle Rowntree promptly stumped up a massive £30,000 to ensure it did. Thousands gathered in front of the Minster to see a great display of illuminations switched on by Nestl's then managing director, Chris White.

Nestl made another substantial donation last year, but it emerged recently that it would not be able to back this year's appeal - sparking warnings that the display would be under threat unless other organisations came up with at least £60,000.

Updated: 09:27 Monday, February 20, 2006