The Christmas lights that inspired Blackpool

A West Yorkshire town believed to have inspired Blackpool's famous Illuminations is celebrating 149 years of putting up its Christmas lights.

Heckmondwike has been putting up decorative lights since the late 1860s, with the first Christmas display covered by a local newspaper on 23 December 1876.

This year's lights were switched on at the end of November, with a funfair and market open to mark the occasion.

Simon Thirkill, who runs the Fearless People charity and helps to organise the switch-on, said Heckmondwike's "claim to fame is that we had electrical lights before Blackpool".

Blackpool Illuminations first took place in 1879.

Mr Thirkill said: "We've been illuminating the town since the early 1860s for different events and opening of markets, royal visits, and we've used gas jets and all the things that are available."

The Heckmondwike Herald report from 1876, found by researchers at Kirklees Council and Kirklees Museums, praised the "brilliantly illuminated" town, and told of a torchlight procession held to celebrate the switch-on.

Before lights were used, Heckmondwike's Christmas celebrations included crowns and feathers decorating the town.

In 1930, lights in the shape of pantomime and nursery rhyme characters were added to the display.

Interest in the display declined as the 1980s approached, according to the Spen Valley Civic Society.

But in 1985, the community rallied round to bring the lights back to their former glory.

The huge voluntary effort paid off, with 9,000 people coming to watch the switch-on that year, the society said.

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