A MARKET town looks set to have its best festive display in years, with funding for a £25,000 laser show looking ever more hopeful.

This was the news given to members of Barnard Castle Town Council on Monday as they heard further details of how a planned Christmas festival was progressing.

Clerk, Mr Geoff Bosworth, reported that Ms Jill Cole, who had been asked to secure funding for various events in the town in the run-up to Christmas after conducting a feasibility study, was hopeful that grants for the laser show would come through in time.

Ms Cole later confirmed this, adding: "I am fairly hopeful."

Mr Bosworth said a firm decision on whether it was possible to stage the laser show would be made at a meeting of the council's Christmas lights committee on September 24.

Activities regarding the festival are to be jointly marketed with the Meet committee and Teesdale Lions to form a co-ordinated approach.

Coun John Yarker reported that he had been in discussion with Mr Harry Dick of Teesdale Garden Crafts about a replacement crib to stand outside the Methodist church. Likely to cost about £400, the new crib would come as a flat pack, with a detachable perspex front to deter vandals, and would be lit up. Members also agreed to spend £5,300 to upgrade 16 town centre lampposts, as required by the county council, to ensure they were safe to carry lighting displays.

l The clerk is to investigate the possibility of obtaining a £5,000 grant for festivities to mark the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations next June.

While very much at the ideas stage, some suggestions mooted included a possible link-up with the Castle Players, offering free tickets to those celebrating golden anniversaries or 50th birthdays; band concerts, a modern day equivalent of Queen Victoria's golden jubilee horse parade through the town and commemorative coins for schoolchildren.

District Coun Robin Simpson had asked about the possibility of a joint venture with Stainton