WEYMOUTH BID has won £10,000 worth of Christmas lights after competing against 12 other towns across the country and say the money will help to ‘enhance’ Weymouth’s BIG Christmas.

The Blachere Christmas Light competition is held annually and usually 10 finalists are selected. 

However, this year the standard of entry was said to be so high that 13 towns were selected as finalists. 

The total prize pot was raised to a stunning £23,000 this year. All finalists were guaranteed to leave with a minimum of £1,000 worth of lights and could win a £2,000 second prize or better still the main £10,000 prize.

The BID beat the 12 other finalists and will be using the £10,000 worth of lights to decorate the town during Weymouth’s BIG Christmas and celebrations. 

The 13 finalists had to present their applications to judges and delegates at the Revive & Thrive Annual Conference and Exhibition in Colchester last week and demonstrate why they should win the prize.

The 13 finalists included Appledore, Bognor Regis, Eastleigh, Heswall District, Ilfracombe, Kidsgrove, Liskeard, Newent, Nunney, Rye, Southwater, Whitchurch and Weymouth.

Speaking before the announcement of the winner, Mark Barnes, MD and founder of Revive & Thrive Ltd said the competition had seen a “real mix” of applicants from around the UK.

He said: “It proves that size and budget of a place doesn’t always guarantee success. It’s all about the people who live in our communities and places who make the difference.”

Ronnie Brown, MD of Blachere Illumination UK Ltd, thanked all the town’s that applied. He said: “The passion for the places where the applicants live and work meant that we couldn’t shortlist to only ten.”

Nigel Reed, manager of the Weymouth BID, said “We had some stiff competition but this is a fantastic reward for the BID team but more importantly an incredible win for Weymouth. 

"Winning £10,000 worth of lightning courtesy of Blachere Illuminations will allow us to enhance Weymouth’s BIG Christmas lighting and the visitor experience in Weymouth for 2016.”