Diss Town Council

DISS TOWN COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of the Diss Christmas Lights committee held in the Thatchers Needle on: 7TH February 2017 at 6.30pm

Attendees:- Chris Moyse [Chair], Suzanne Kayne &, Fiona Wenmam

APOLOGIES : Joe Aitken, Beth Dewhurst, John Atkinson

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 1

Members noted any declarations of Members personal and/or prejudicial interests pertaining to items on the agenda (relevant to Councillors only). None

MINUTES :

There we no minutes to agree – we met in early January 2017 just to review and provide feedback on the nights events from the November’s switch-on.

PROPOSAL : Christmas Lights switch 25/11/2017 from 3pm till 6pm : Switch on at 5.30pm

LIGHTS & PARADE :

Re-book Vintage Fire Engine to lead the parade [CM]

United Reformed Church to join the parade with a lanterns made by the children – they could go in front and behind the Fire Engine?

Road closures from 1.30/2pm through to 7.30pm – advise DTC [RL]

Access for Larry Gray’s Fun Fair at Mere’s Mouth needed from 8.30am– [RL]

Clear Market Place parking spaces from 12 noon [RL]

Bartrums Truck with a smaller unit and Park Radio to arrive at 8am – 8.30am, collected at 7pm

Size of trailer this year would create an extra 5m space in the Market Place – room for more stalls etc. collected a 6.30/7pm

Simply Sound to arrive at 10.30/11am to start stage set up

Stalls to gain access to Market Place from1.30/2pm [RL]

Traffic cones needed from DTC to mark an area for the LED Static display [RL]

Limit the amount of cars used by the acts in front of the Dolphin House/Chip cart [All]

We would approach either Rick Wakeman or Ian Lavender to flick the switch [SK]

We would drop Ben Langley this year, but continue to promote the Theatre Royal Panto in exchange for free tickets as last year

First Aiders required on the night [ CllJA/BD]

Additional stewards to be recruited?

Additional Tree at Weavers and at other strategic points around St Nicholas Street/Market Hill - supplied by DTC

Walkie Talkies [4 handsets] to be loaned for the night by Park Radio to aid communications between the team/stewards on the night. [CM]

Loudhailer to be provided by DTC in case of a power outage to aid crowd control and communication [RL/DTC}

Christmas Flags to be positioned in the flag poles around the town prior to the night [DTC]

Food & Drink stalls worked well last year and would continue as the key offering – still to include Crepes, Chocolate Fountain, German sausage, Thai and Vegetarian options plus Hog Roast and Roast chestnuts plus some charity stalls like the WI, Diss Baptist and DC3 Churches will have a presence.

We would have room for up to 12 stalls this year.

We could look at Smoothies and Twisted Crips for the children [SK]

Safeguards around Pedlers [RL/SR] discuss next time.

Community Connectors will have a stall outside the DTC offices to promote the work they do [SK]

Prices of stalls to remain at £25

Generators [G] to be supplied by stalls who will be cooking so will not need power from Beales [B] – see attached stall layout plan. Beales to supply electricity to stalls for lights only.

The Yards will be open during the day but there overall involvement in the event was unclear [SK/JA], although the Sweet Shop would like a pitch in the Market Place.

Invited to appear:

Vintage Fire Engine from Bressingham [CM]

Bollywood Sparkle Dancers @ £100 [SK]

LED walkers/ Stiltwalkers? [SK]

Wooden games ; SC Games – need costs [SK]

Cosmo/Lucas ; acrobat performers - need costs [SK]

Dinsdale [DTC – Fiona kindly agreed to wear the suit/Robert to prepare RA [FW/RL]

Santa Claus – to ride on Fire Engine [costume from DTC] Does Santa need Elves? [ALL]

Larry Grey for Meres Mouth, including Candy Floss[SK]

Diss Junior School and Roydon Primary Joint Choir Choir [CM]

Groovapolitan – Function Band [CM]

Park Radio – would host the night FOC [CM]

Poundland agreed to participate and provide free sweets via the store mascot – extend to other traders [CM]

Thatchers Needle agreed to provide 1000 mince pies [CM]

Park Bear to accompany Santa on the Vintage Fire Engine [CM]

Representation from DTC [DS/SR] to lead the procession through the streets on the night [DTC]

Acts [Parky Bear and Santa] who are in the parade need to assemble to the rear of Beales to leave Chapel Street at 5.15pm

Matrix of all performers/acts who will need paying to be collated before sending to DTC for a PO number [SK/CM]

Agreed performance running order – [CM]

Funds available [left unspent from 2016 event plus 2016 Budget]is circa £800. [FW to confirm with DTC]

Costs estimated at £1,500 in line with 2016

Bartrums booked to provide the stage at £175 [CM]

Simply Sound booked to provide Light and Sound and additional extension leads plus extra speaker on Beales roof and stage area [CM]

We could also look at a Confetti cannon to be fired at the point the lights were switch-on – need prices from Simply Sound [CM]

Publicity

Sponsored programme to be produced again by Falcon in Diss at no cost

Distribute to all the homes of Diss – at what cost?

Diss Express and Diss Mercury will be kept up to date with news of the event [BD/CM]

Theatre Royal Norwich will give us a family ticket for the Panto Competition to win these tickets to feature in the event programme. Draw to take place just after the switch-on [BD/CM/

Front cover to be agreed with DTC – as to the artwork/branding to be used. [BD/DTC]

Meeting closed at 7pm

15/856 DATE OF NEXT MEETING Tuesday 14th March 2017 at 1830 @ Thatchers Needle

Councillor / Chair ------

Christmas Lights sub-committee