When Piers Morgan criticised Dorchester's Christmas lights

In 2003 the town's Christmas lights made it a national laughing stock after its festive light display was labelled as 'the worst in the country' for a third year in a row.

Here's a glimpse of what those lights looked like back then - you can just see the single string of lights to the left of the picture!

It's actually a picture that was made into a Christmas card ten years after the county town's lights debacle. It shows a man walking through town the town with the old light display above him but efforts in the past to find out who he is have proved fruitless!

The card marked a decade since the Decorate Dorchester campaign began, sparked by the shame of the town's light display being branded the worst in the country. A committed band of volunteers into action and, with support from businesses and the community, they managed to raise £32,000 to give Dorchester a light display to be proud of.

Joss Baker, Margaret Morrissey, Dennis Spurr from the Fantastic Sausage Factory and Mark Evans from Great Western Camping were among those who spearheaded the Decorate Dorchester campaign.

Mrs Baker described how she was spurred into action after hearing Eamonn Holmes criticising the town’s lights in 2003.

She said: “He was laughing at us and I thought we would have the last laugh.

“I went to see Margaret and we said 'we are going to show them.'”

The Dorset Echo was among those businesses who pledged £500 to the Decorate Dorchester campaign and Mrs Baker said they received donations ranging from children who gave £1 of their pocket money to an anonymous contribution of £32,000 – all of which helped them reach their target of £32,000 to fund the new lights for three years.

Mrs Morrissey said the Decorate Dorchester also held a whole host of fundraising events from race nights to a Halloween Party to fashion shows.

Mrs Baker created the card to thank all those involved in the Decorate Dorchester campaign, which was signed first by Dorset based actor Martin Clunes.

She was preparing to take the card, which had a Christmas past, present and future theme, up to London to show GMTV when she was contacted by the show to say they were coming down to the county town to do a positive follow up piece.

Mr Spurr said he remembered feeling emotional when the new lights were switched on in 2004 in the culmination of nearly a year of fundraising and planning.

He said: “The whole thing from the start to the finish was a real community effort.

“On Christmas Cracker night when the lights were turned on I was stood there in the town and there was such a big cheer it actually gave me goose bumps.

“It was such a feeling of community spirit, everybody felt involved with it.”