Christmas in Chesham, the annual Christmas lights switch on held at the end of November each year is organised by Town Partner, Chesham Connect, with support from the council.
Every year, thousands of people come to Chesham High Street to support our retailers, raise money for many local good causes and celebrate the start of the Christmas season. As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will not be possible to run the event this year given the direction from the Government and guidance from Buckinghamshire Council on large gatherings. Whilst this is very disappointing, it is vital that the safety of our community comes first.
The organisers said, "We feel strongly that one of our core purposes in running the event each year has been to support the thriving charity community. In light of this, and the extremely difficult circumstances which are challenging many of our local good causes, we have decided to send a cheque for £100 to each charity that took part in the event in 2019.
"Charities that have had a stall on the High Street have raised much needed funds for their causes, and we do not want them to miss out on at least some contributions to their excellent work for the community. These donations are made possible because we have carefully managed our event over the last 20 years and have a small reserve – and we believe that now is the time that this reserve should be spent to help our local good causes.
"We look forward to running the event again in 2021, and welcoming back our charities, commercial pitch holders and thriving shops for the lights switch on."
The organisers would like to encourage shops on the High Street to consider opening on the evening of Friday 27th November. Although there will be no formal Christmas in Chesham event organised, this would be a great way to get Christmas started in the town and it is important that we support our local shops and businesses after a very tough year.