A seaside village is having an early Christmas celebration after council chiefs agreed to fund a festive lights display.
Dundrum, Co Down, will now be included in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s budget for Christmas illuminations after a campaign by locals to get a cash boost for their yuletide celebrations.
The decision to include Dundrum was passed at the neighbourhood committee on Wednesday night.
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At the meeting, Dundrum Village Association was commended for its pro-active approach.
Slieve Croob councillor, Andrew McMurray (Alliance), praised the association for its efforts over a number of years, to secure the festive illuminations.
He said: “The Dundrum Village Association should be commended for its approach to the council on this matter. I would like to thank the council officers for their engagement.
“They presented themselves and knew what they wanted and how it could be done for.
“I can’t help but smile at the thought of a display of the Grinch lighting up this Christmas.”
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council had previously agreed a loan of 24 pole illumination displays to the village, but with the local community group having to source funding for the infrastructure required to install them.
Dundrum, with a population of 1551, will now be included into the council’s Christmas capital for 2022 at a cost of £3,000 to erect the display.
A future procurement of 24 new pole illuminations for Dundrum would cost £10,000 funded through the council’s capital programme for 2023.
The council already supplies Christmas pole illumination displays to 16 urban locations in the council area.
NMDDC is also looking at the replacement of 27 new features in Bessbrook, 22 for Merchant’s Quay, 11 for Buttercrane Quay and 11 for Sugar Island in Newry with a further 10 for Irish Street, Downpatrick at an approximate cost of over £80,000.
The council is also considering a hire arrangement for five Christmas trees, however the business case was presented to committee in April in confidential session away from the public view.
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