Peterborough Council still urgently seeking sponsors to save Christmas in city centre

Peterborough City Council is still desperately seeking sponsors to save Christmas celebrations – with thousands of pounds needed to ensure a tree and decorations will be in place in Cathedral Square.

Last week the authority said it needed £22,000 in sponsorship to ensure the festivities would take place this year.

While some companies have come forward to help, more is still needed.

Councillor Mohammed Jamil, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Governance, said: "We have had some more interest from potential sponsors as a result of our appeal last week and we are now talking to those companies to arrange the finer details.

"If those discussions conclude positively, we will have in the region of £10,000 still to raise to cover the costs.

"I would urge any businesses or organisations that would like to support the appeal for sponsorship to come forward as soon as possible."

Last week, the council said that in the budget agreed by councillors for the current financial year there was a commitment to secure sponsorship for the cost of the switch-on event, the Christmas tree and the installation of the lights, totalling £56,000.

It was one of a number of savings proposals agreed by Full Council to deliver a balanced budget.

The council has been trying to secure sponsorship for a number of months and has so far attracted £34,000.

Businesses that are interested in sponsoring Christmas in Peterborough can email [email protected]