Lights Out On Boutique Area

NEW Christmas lights lit the way for most shoppers during the festive period but one retail area has been described as left ‘funereal’.  

Although Wards End’s pavement has been widened as part of the Loughborough Town Deal and Charnwood Borough Council’s Lanes and Links initiative intends to connect the row of traditional independent, small outlets through Bleach Yard to Queen’s Park and Granby Street carpark there are no festive lights. 

Shop owners and customers were left in the shadows during the busiest time as despite costly, new lights across other areas of the town centre none have been installed this year in what is promoted as the ‘boutique’ area and includes the Deli at 58 and George Hill Wines.  

Former sound engineer Robin Derrick of The Retro Room, a quirky kitsch outlet with film and music industry memorabilia including vinyl, northern soul and a large selection of jukeboxes said it’s drab and awful.  

“Each year Christmas lights are all the way along here, it’s beautiful. But not this time – it’s like a funeral,” said Mr Derrick. 

He said according to Charnwood Borough Council and Love Loughborough the reason they haven’t put them up is they were dangerous but they knew that last year when they took them down and they didn’t do anything. 

“All the other areas have new lights; Market Street and Church Gate. Look how nice Church Gate looked, it was beautiful. It gets all the advertising and all the press. We get nothing.” 

“It annoys me,” he added.  

Across the road Jackie Neal of Ab Fab Vintage has gone all out to dress her window as brightly as possible using a variety of lamps to compensate for the absent festive illuminations. 

The eclectic offering of furniture, kitchenware, jewelry and other collectables is one of the independent businesses Jackie said is promoted by Love Loughborough as the boutique area of Loughborough yet the lights are only on Bedford and Devonshire Squares with the road in between in darkness.  

Jackie said people asking her where are her lights? 

“There’s supposed to be new lighting. The Christmas lights are up but we’re in darkness. Love Loughborough said it was something about the cables but that’s just an excuse,” said Jackie. 

Madeline Butler of Madeline’s Flowers and Gifts said she’s been told it would cost £15,000 to put new lights up.  

“Visitors wanted to walk up here with Santa but the dark puts them off,” said Medeline. 

 She said Love Loughborough told her it’s because last year’s were ten years’ old and a lot weren’t working then; they only just managed to get enough to work.  

“Apparently some of the sockets have been condemned and they say we didn’t get the lamp post lights this year as the lamp posts are too near the wall.” 

“It’s a bit annoying; they’ve had all new lights in the town centre and all down everywhere and we’ve been forgotten in the so – called boutique area,” said Madeline who has run her florist for eleven years. 

Regular customers Sue and David Orme said it’s disgusting and disgraceful.  

“These are good shops but this is the forgotten part of town. There are some lovely shops up here,” said Mrs Orme. 

“During the fair it was surprising the number of people who came along here and said they don’t usually come up this far,” added husband David. 

Mike Jackson of 19^th Century family firm Pickworth Furnishing said it’s all about budgets. 

“At one time all the shops paid for Christmas lights themselves.”