Mantle’s the choice for Festive Light Show

Pick the bones out of that: Mantle’s Fish and Chip shop and the all important white wall at Poynton’s

Several locations were considered but it always seemed to be a case of - ‘not bad... but cod do batter.’

The organisers certainly didn’t want to ‘scale’ back their operation.

So, where did they come up with? Yes, you guessed right, a town centre fish and chip shop!

East Lindsey District Council announced several weeks ago that aimed to bring some Christmas cheer to four market towns – and asked residents to help make it happen.

Since then, the council has been working with ‘Different Light Collective’, the organisation behind Spilsby Light Night, to deliver ‘Hope and Light’ – a unique community project that will see special light projections take place in Alford, Horncastle, Louth and Spilsby.

The Hope and Light team released templates which residents were encouraged to design, decorate and return, so they can be included in the projections which will run throughout December.

Each town was assigned a themed template - Horncastle’s was ‘snowflakes’.

More than 150 people submitted a completed template and now the images are being animated into a short film.

A projector will be placed in each town, opposite a building that will act as an outdoor screen.

And, in Horncastle, the projector will be sited in an upstairs room at Mantle’s Fish and Chip shop in the Market Place.

And, the screen will be a white section of wall on the other side of an alley - on Poynton’s Shoe Shop!

Steve Hollingsworth, a member of the Hope and Light Team, delivered an update on the project at last week’s ‘virtual’ town council meeting.

He said: “We’ve had great support - 150 templates from Horncastle which we are delighted with.

“Snowflakes was the theme and there was quiet a flurry towards the end - lots of schools and families and individuals.

“We’re putting them together into a film that will be projected for the whole of December, on a loop, that will come on at 3pm and stay until about 9pm.

“After a lot of discussion and site visits, the projection is going to be above Mantle’s chip shop - thanks to them - and will be projected on to the back of Poynton’s Shoe Shop.”

As well as the snowflakes, the film will include segments promoting the ‘Shop Local’ campaign - and messages from individual businesses.

Mr Hollingsworth added: “There are a few details still to sort out, but we hope it will be popular as East Lindsey is talking about possibly doing more of this type of thing in future.”