FAQ

We are always grateful for support from the community. You can help by making a donation via our Just Giving page or by volunteering your time. Whether you’re able to contribute financially or practically, every bit of support helps us keep the festive displays shining.

Our festive displays are installed on selected lamp posts throughout Banff and Macduff, as well as at the local primary schools. You can view the current locations on our  interactive map, which shows where displays are installed each year.

This is down to infrastructure rather than preference. Macduff currently has more lamp posts fitted with suitable electrical sockets. In Banff, many lamp posts were replaced in recent years without sockets being installed. Adding new sockets is costly, and we are working gradually, as funds allow, to address this imbalance.

No, a separate group called Banff Plainstones Christmas Cracker are responsible for this display.

No. We are an independent charity run by volunteers. Aberdeenshire Council grants permission for us to install displays on lamp posts, but the planning, funding, installation, maintenance, and storage of the lights are entirely our responsibility.

Aberdeenshire Council covers a very large geographic area, and providing festive displays for every town and village would be a significant financial and logistical commitment. Community-led groups like ours help ensure that local festive displays can still take place in a way that reflects local priorities and involvement.

The displays use electricity from existing lamp posts, which is supplied by the council. However, the lights are predominantly LED, making them energy efficient and relatively low cost to run. All other costs — including purchasing, installing, maintaining, repairing, and storing the displays — are covered by the charity through fundraising and donations.

Not currently though Aberdeenshire Council are proposing community groups pay a pro rata rate for electricity with five years of payments upfront for Christmas lights displays. We are also asked to pay Aberdeenshire Council to put in structural lamp posts when they lamp posts are due for replacement and for adding sockets to lamp posts when they are replaced. One socket alone costs around £200 per lamp post. 

We are in ongoing discussions about potential future arrangements, such as pro-rata electricity costs or socket charges. These discussions are a normal part of working responsibly with public bodies.

While we are confident in our members’ honesty and integrity, being a registered charity means we are subject to independent oversight and regulation by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). This ensures we are held to a high standard of accountability and transparency in how we raise and spend funds.

We value having this external regulation in place, as it provides reassurance that generous public donations are managed responsibly and ethically, rather than relying solely on the oversight of individuals or a small group.

Not all lamp posts are suitable for displays. Some do not have electrical sockets, and installing new ones is expensive. As a small charity, we add new locations gradually as funding allows, prioritising safety and sustainability.

We understand that it can be disappointing to see a display not working as expected. Occasionally, faults occur after installation, or issues arise with the lamp post itself. As we rely on volunteers and council repairs, it may not always be possible to fix problems immediately, but we do our best to address issues as quickly and safely as possible.

Our annual operating and maintenance costs are approximately £1,500. This covers repairs, replacement parts, safety equipment, and ongoing maintenance of the displays. All trustees and volunteers give their time freely and are unpaid. As a registered charity, our finances are publicly available through the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), ensuring full transparency and accountability. You can find out more about our spending on the OSCR Website: https://www.oscr.org.uk/about-charities/search-the-register/charity-details?number=SC049684 

We do anticipate costs to increase significantly in coming years following Aberdeenshire Council's review of Festive lights (Jan 2026) : https://aberdeenshire.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s40304/Festive%20Lights%20and%20Bunting%20Policy%20Review.pdf