The Rushden Echo, 25th November 1966, transcribed by Jim Hollis

Bare High Street for Christmas

Rushden High Street which was decorated at Christmas for the first time last year will once again be bare this year and most of the blame can be put on the present squeeze.

Last year the decorations – dangling Father Christmases high above the street – were put up at a cost of about £180 and the loss on this venture was £100.

This did not however discourage shopkeepers or the Chamber of Trade who organised the decorations, because they did not expect to cover the cost the first year. Since the freeze, however, shopkeepers have had to cut down on incidental expenditure and this seems to be one of the things they class as not important.

Barry Thomas and Jim Osborne, two of the traders who bought five Bambi figures in a private Christmas lighting scheme.

Next year it is hoped that the decorations will once again bring the Christmas spirit to Rushden.

The president of the Chamber of Trade, Mr. Barry Thomas, said that he himself was very disappointed about it. “A scheme like this is very beneficial to the town and I am especially disappointed that Rushden Urban Council did not support us in the venture,” he said.

It seems likely that if the council had made even a small donation to show their interest, many of the shopkeepers would have followed their lead and given something also.

The introduction of High Street Christmas decorations has by all accounts in other towns been of great benefit to the shops and given the local children a proper feeling of Christmas which is always a pleasure to see if the cost is not a great deal.

Next year the decorations should return and probably the council will see fit to give just a few pounds to help brighten up the Christmas scene in Rushden. The shopkeepers are still going to put up their own Christmas trees above their shops which will add some cheerful colour.

Lighting: We Were Not Asked Say Traders

It is too late now for any organised Christmas lighting scheme for Rushden High Street but the traders are not taking the blame, they say that there could have been a very good display if only they were asked to co-operate.

Lack of support for a full-scale lighting scheme from the traders was the reason given by the Chamber of Trade for this year’s bare High Street, but it seems the shopkeepers were not apathetic or financially embarrassed by the thought of spending a couple of pounds. The “Rushden Echo” made a random check in the High Street and every shopkeeper but one interviewed claimed that they were not even asked if they were interested in a scheme for this year.

Altogether 26 traders from various parts of the High Street were interviewed. The question, “Did the Chamber of Trade approach you about the Christmas lighting scheme this year? The answer - 25 “No’s” and one reply of “yes.”

All such checks are subject to major discrepancies, what about the rest of the traders, people ask? The first ten interviewed might say no, the next ten yes! So interviewing the first ten gives a biased report. But it seems extraordinary that only one of the 26 shops answered in the affirmative.

The check raised many points, the most disturbing one of which seems to be the opinion that the Chamber of Trade is wholly unrepresentative of the Rushden shopkeepers and is, in fact, “an exclusive club.”

Many of the multiple stores, it is known, will not support such a venture as the lighting, mostly because they are multiples and if their head office gives them permission to help financially it would involve many thousands of their other branches as well.

Small Group

Others think that as they are not members of the Chamber of Trade they are not asked about these things, are not invited to air their views, and that the decisions are made by a very small group.

“We are not members of the Chamber of Trade but it is just a small clique of certain people. It is not strong enough,” said the manager at Curry’s electrical shop.

“It seems that we are a race apart. The Chamber of Trade is an exclusive club,” said the manager of Maypole, Mr. R. D. Desborough.

The Chamber of Trade is however open to all retail traders in the town and there is nothing to stop them joining. Many of the multiples are member of the main Chamber of Trade but their branches do not belong to the local organisations.

“Since becoming president I had a membership drive earlier in the year and gained twenty new members. It is ridiculous to say that it is an exclusive club. It is open to any retail traders,” said the president of the Chamber of Trade, Mr. Barry Thomas.

Going It Alone

Mr. Thomas is one of the six shopkeepers in the High Street who have together decided to go it alone as regards Christmas lighting for they have bought five eight feet tall Bambi figures complete with coloured lights which will be strung along the road outside their shops at the north end of High Street.

Even shops which supported last year’s scheme, none of whom were very complimentary about the decorations, were not asked this year.

Shops that did not support it last year said that if they were asked they would still consider the possibility of helping if they could have a discussion as to what would be the best lighting scheme. Some of the larger stores said that at least they would write to their head or area offices to see if they could support such a venture.

Only one, however, was approached. Perhaps they did not show bounding individual enthusiasm but most seemed willing to help if only asked. Only one shop discounting the multiples of which only a few were interviewed anyway, said that they would definitely not help.

Next year it seems obvious that the traders each of whom have shops in the High Street, should meet and discuss arrangements for a lighting scheme. If they do not then label them as apathetic and uninterested, but let them, after the apparent mix-up this year, all co-operate together, have a general meeting, form a committee and see what can be done.

If the shops know that ninety per cent are going to help towards the cost it may work out at only about £2 each, who would complain at that?

Six go it alone to give High Street Christmas lights

Rushden High Street will not be glitter-less this Christmas after all. A handful of shopkeepers have joined forces for their own Christmas lighting scheme and at the same time proved what can be accomplished with a little co-operation and determination.

The six shopkeepers have all chipped into a central pool and bought five Bambi figures, each over eight feet tall, and complete with antlers and coloured lights, after the Rushden and Higham Ferrers Chamber had to call its own Christmas lighting scheme off because of lack of support from traders.

And one of the six is Mr. Barry Thomas, who is this year’s president of the Chamber of Trade. Mr. Thomas, a High Street newsagent, said he was bitterly disappointed that the chamber’s scheme had to be cancelled for this year.

Mr. Thomas told the “Echo”: “I was only too pleased to join this scheme and I hope that it will show other traders up and down the High Street what can be done with a little bit of co-operation and determination.

The six who have contributed to the scheme are Colton Shoes, Osborne’s Toys, Clarks Electrical Shop, Buttling’s Wools, Cox and Cave Furnishers, Thomas Newsagents and Thomas Ladies’ Hairdressers.

Mr. James Osborne stressed that they were not setting up as a High Street north end traders’ association in opposition to the Chamber of Trade.

Doubt

“We are all members of the chamber and if their scheme had gone ahead as scheduled I doubt if we would have bought the Bambi figures.

“But this is not the first time we as a group have worked together. We all have coloured lights round our shop fronts and as a group we would probably have bought additional decorations to add to the chamber scheme anyway.

“I think a feature of this scheme is the complete co-operation everybody has shown,” he said.

Mr. K. N. Clark said within an hour of reading the “Echo” – when news of the chamber’s decision to cancel the lights this year was revealed – he and the other five traders had decided to do something on their own.

Almost immediately, Mr. Clark put in a bid for the Bambi figures to Aylesbury Chamber of Trade who used them in their Christmas decorations scheme last year.

“I clinched the deal and Mr. Richard Colton arranged to have them picked up and brought to Rushden. We hope to have them suspended across the High Street between our shops over the weekend,” he said.

Additional

He pointed out that they would have the figures for next year and it was quite possible that they would have cash in hand after all expenses were paid.

If there is any money left over it could go towards buying additional decorations for next year.

This was basically the Chamber of Trade’s plan – to add to the scheme each year. Last year the chamber bought a number of balloon-like Father Christmas figures, which were suspended across the High Street.

Car Tote

The fund indicator poster in the High Street, which was designed to promote more interest in the money raising activities and also at keeping the public informed of progress sets an ambitious target of £6,000 for organisers.

One of the committee’s most successful money raising ideas has been the car tote competition which realised £538 – more than a quarter of the total. Other money raising activities have been cheese and wine parties and coffee mornings.

The tote venture is being repeated at the present time and new members are still being accepted, in the hope that a similar sum of money will be made.