Last Christmas it was striking that West Kirby and Hoylake were able to stage very impressive festive light displays.

Hoylake had a mini-Blackpool Illuminations feel about it that would delight small children, while West Kirby had a slightly more restrained vibe that added Christmas prettiness to its already attractive centre.

Heswall, on the other hand, was not in the same league - put it this way, our Christmas lights were not likely to attract the attention of the astronauts of the International Space Station as it tracked across Wirral skies.

I have to be honest, I have lived here for more than 30 years and always assumed Wirral Borough Council was responsible for most of the display that in the past has brightened up a long stretch of Telegraph Road every Christmas - until last year,

Not so. Stephen Atherton, Chair of the Heswall and District Business Association, explains:

"The lights around Heswall have never been supported, supplied or funded by the Council. It is always the local businesses who donate and sponsor and then we as the HDBA arrange for them to be put up and then taken down and stored.

"This has been the case since 1982. In 2019 we came in at a loss and, and with everyone struggling last year, we decided initially we weren't in a position to do anything.

"However, we managed to get some funding from the Councillors Community Fund, which allowed us to do the lights outside Castle Buildings, the lights on the Christmas tree near the Fire Station, the tree itself, and the lights outside the library, along with those on the trees up by Earth Florists."

This was a noble effort under the circumstances, but not exactly on the scale to which Stephen and George Cain, the man behind the ambitious Light Up Heswall campaign, are now aspiring.

This Christmas they aim to bounce back with bigger and better lights and, in the absence of any public money for 2021, need to spread their fundraising net as wide as possible..

Says George: "We're hoping to dress all of the trees from Oxfam right down to the Catholic church of Our Lady and St John. The lights for the trees arrived not so long ago, and as we grow over the next couple of years we aim to have new lamp post lights back again."

To make all of this happen now and in the future, Light Up Heswall respectfully asks for donations, small or large. If you would like to chip in there are options:

You can make a bank transfer to:

"HDBA" (Heswall and District Business Association)

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Or use PayPal with this email address: [email protected]

Or you may notice various local businesses have collection tins into which you can drop that small change while you're out and about.

"Let's make Heswall sparkle this Christmas," adds George.