It’s that time of year again when withy, paper, artists and musicians are poised and ready to go for rehearsing and making for City of Lights 2017. Despite the year round planning, the activities significantly increase for all involved from September.

With the target of £50,000 to keep this event happening each year, the fundraising team have made fantastic progress. So far £9,087 has been confirmed in business sponsorship with the support from the following partners confirmed, Bonhams, Cornwall College, Mannings, Newquay Zoo, Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts, Old Grammar School, One Vision with Cornwall Council, Red Row Housing, Seasalt Clothing, Sole Plaice, Stormfront, Taylor Wimpey, Truro & Penwith College, Waitrose, Western Power and Wolfrock.

The team are incredibly grateful for these contributions, however this not enough. There are still packages available, starting at just £150 and rising up to £550. All packages are negotiable to suit the business. To explore the possibility of your business collaborating with one of Cornwall’s biggest events of the calendar, contact Charlotte Davis via trurocol@gmail.com

If you are an individual and you would like contribute in some way, there are a number of ways to get involved. You could volunteer on the night to help collect money or support the event steward team, sign up as a Friend of City of Lights (from as little as £10 for an individual or £25 for a family) or TEXT donate COLT17 £amount to 70070.

Equally if you would like to just sit back, relax and enjoy the parade in comfort, then why not treat a loved one or even yourself to a VIP Ticket. You could view the parade from a secret and perfect viewpoint of the parade, accompanied by a glass of Prosecco and canapés, courtesy of Nellys Cornwall for just £25 each.

And just when you think that is it, there is an all new City of Lights Raffle this year. For just £2 you could win a £100 Bustopher Jones Meal Voucher, £60 Rieker Voucher, cream tea for two at the Vegan Cafe, amongst many other prizes. To buy a ticket or view the full list of prizes, please go to cityoflights.org.uk or pop in the Visitor Information Centre (next to City Hall).

With all the spectacular visual imagery and music that surrounds the City of Lights lantern parade, it is easy to forget about all the people who make it happen. A small team of less than ten people meet and coordinate plans throughout the year. Members of the team include specialists in event management (Mackerel Sky Events), making and artistic creation with expertise from the core team of five lantern artists, school and community engagement with KEAP (Kernow Education and Arts Partnership), music and performance direction (Truro School of Samba) and business development and engagement with Truro BID. Each year, the event offers a platform for individuals to gain valuable skills and professionals to develop their careers within a specialist field.

Over the coming weeks, City of Lights will reveal snippets of news and teasers for this years parade. So keep posted and follow the journey via Facebook or Instagram.

For any additional information regarding sponsorship, volunteering or supporting City of Lights go to cityoflights.org.uk or email trurocol@gmail.com.