Donation of Aberlour Hotel Christmas lights helps Moray village after Amey imposes new fee

The organizer of a village's Christmas lights display “couldn't believe it” when a road construction company charged his group thousands of dollars “without explanation” for previously free work.

Aberlour Community Association (ACA) was charged around £2,500 last year for putting up and taking down lights on lamp posts along the Moray village's High Street.

This came with the bombshell that their 20-year-old lights were also too heavy to put up the next year.

However, thanks to “very fortunate” donations from a local business and a wind farm fund, the ACA will shine with new lights this Christmas, said organizer Willie Cameron.

Willie, an ACA trustee, said 2023 was the first year the group was charged with the work.

“When we saw the number, it was a real surprise, I couldn’t believe it,” he added.

The ACA has launched a fundraising campaign called ‘Light Up Aberlour’ to help fund the lighting over the coming years.

As Aberlour High Street is part of the A95 trunk road, responsibility for the traffic lights lies with the road operator Amey and not Moray Council.

A spokesman for Amey said they “continue to support the holiday lighting proposals” but that Christmas lights are not covered by the company's contract with Transport Scotland.

This means that the company has to pay subcontractors to set up and dismantle the lighting, while the municipality bears the costs.

The spokesman added that Amey would cover the costs of applying for permission to set up and dismantle the lights and would pay for the electricity used.

Amey took over the A95 in August 2022 and did not charge extra for the lighting this year.

Willie, a retired electrician who inspects, repairs and maintains the lights every year, said the company has not provided an explanation as to why the ACA would have to pay the new fee.

He added that this was part of a larger problem of poor communication that existed before Amey's departure.

“There was no explanation at all,” he said.

“Just an email stating there was a possibility of charging fees, but with no explanation as to how they came to this agreement.

“We had to pay the fee for last year and this year it might be more, we just don’t know.

“It costs us money and that is an ongoing problem.”

But alongside their worries and confusion over the new fee, organisers used another piece of bad news as an opportunity to update Aberlour's festive decorations.

Last year, Amey informed the ACA that they would not be able to hang Aberlour's 20-year-old Christmas lights this year due to their condition and weight.

In response, organisers allocated over £8,000 from a wind farm's community fund to replace the student-designed lights with new ones.

Willie said: “To be honest, when I drive through Rothes and Craigellachie I see their lights and think ours look pretty old.

“So I can't really blame Amey. Our lights are over 20 years old and the new lights will be much better for the village.”

“I understand that the kids at school designed the old ones, but we have to move on.”

A passionate advocate of changing the lights was Kellie Spooner, Managing Director of the Aberlour Hotel, who donated almost £5,000 to support Aberlour's Christmas lights display.

The money, partly raised by charging an entry fee for an event after the Aberlour Highland Games, also means the ACA can foot the looming bill for setting up and dismantling the new lighting.

The businesswoman said: “During an ACA meeting at the hotel, I basically said quite rudely, 'Are we going to do something about the Christmas lights? Because they're embarrassing.'

“I think we are doing poorly when it comes to Christmas lights compared to other villages.

“The community does a lot for me, so I do my best to give back.

“Because the village supports me and my employees really well.

“We have to be part of the village, because if we don’t, we will stagnate.”

Aberlour Community Association plans to continue raising money to keep the Christmas lights on.

Kellie Spooner called on businesses and individuals in the community to join her and donate money to the “good cause.”

“It doesn't matter if it's 50 pence or £1 or whatever, it all helps,” she added.

ACA Chair Kelly Spark said: “The local authority is overwhelmed by the generosity of the Aberlour Hotel.

“They have gone above and beyond with their initial donation and also with the Aberlour Games Night ticket sales for the Light Up Aberlour fund.

“We are so, so grateful.”

An Amey spokesman said: “There is no charge for processing the necessary permits for the installation and removal of the festive lighting.”

“We also cover the additional costs resulting from the energy consumption for the festive lighting during the winter.

“We continue to support the festive lighting proposals and will continue to work with the community to make them a reality.”