TRURO'S town crier has once again made a big donation towards the city's Christmas lights.

Lionel Knight has pledged £11,000 towards extra lights for this year's festivities.

Both Lionel and his wife Carol Knight have donated in the past, already giving £15,000 between them to refresh the lighting scheme in 2018.

Truro Business Improvement District (BID) installs and maintains Truro’s city centre festive lights every year and this is funded by the levy contribution from nearly 400 businesses within the BID area.

Elements of the lighting scheme are refreshed and renewed each year.

However, in the past two few years Truro BID’s budget has decreased by 20 per cent as the BID’s contributions correlate to premises business rates and many of these reduced in revaluations during 2017.

The previous donations from the generous couple meant that the lighting schemes in both Princes Street and Boscawen Street were fully replaced two year ago.

Falmouth Packet:

Lionel and Carol Knight with the angel lights, which arrived in 2018

Lionel’s donation this year will go towards new lighting crossing Lower Lemon Street and St Nicholas Street, which includes angel motifs.

These lights will be in addition to the angels that have lit up and looked over Boscawen St for the past two festive seasons and which were funded by Lionel.

It means that both residents and visitors will be able to enjoy even more angels lighting up in Truro this year.

Truro BID will make up the shortfall for the ‘Lionel’s new lighting’ as well as fund the installation costs.

Lionel said: “I just want to finish off what I did for Boscawen Street two years ago with the angels. I really want to make people more cheerful seeing more lights up – so I hope that people will like them.”

Alun Jones, Truro BID manager, added: “We were overwhelmed by Lionel and Carol’s incredibly generous donations to Truro’s Christmas lights in 2018 – they are the angels of Truro!

"We want to thank Lionel again for his further donation for 2020. This will help Truro BID to deliver more new lighting motifs this festive season, which the community and visitors will be able to admire and enjoy for many years to come.

"Whilst the combined offer for Truro will look different this festive season, Truro will still have its city centre Christmas lights spectacle to attract shoppers. Road closures will also be in place at busy times, including on Wednesday late-night shopping evenings, to give people reassurance that they have space to shop, eat and drink.”

The lights are part of the Christmas programme, which the Truro Partnership – Truro City Council, Visit Truro and Truro BID – will be sharing over the coming weeks.