Battle over cash as lights go down on Lumiere

A BUSINESS hub and councillors are joining forces in a call to secure cash that will no longer be spent on Durham Lumiere.

- BARBARA HODGSON

Durham County Council deputy leader Darren Grimes blamed the previous Lib Dem-led administration

Following shock news of the cancellation of the much-loved festival beyond this autumn's event, Durham BID and Durham Parish Council have issued a joint statement in the hope of securing its funding for future creative investment.

They have written to North East mayor Kim McGuinness calling for a meeting, and suggest reinvesting the money in the city would be a fitting legacy for the light festival.

Lumiere made its Durham debut in 2009 and the recent announcement that the upcoming November 13-15 run would be its last has been met with huge disappointment.

The biennial festival, commissioned by Durham County Council, is classed as the UK's leading light show and its transformation of city buildings and streets after dark, with a changing array of light installations, has inspired events across the nation.

Helen Marriage, artistic director of Artichoke, which produces it, said the decision to end the free event had "not been taken lightly" but that investment to keep it running had become increasingly difficult to find.