THE staging of Tavistock's annual Dickensian Evening hangs in the balance this week, ahead of a crisis meeting regarding funding for the popular event.

Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, which stages the festive shopping bonanza and the town's Christmas lights display, is still £5,000 short of the £11,000 target needed to fund the events.

Nigel Eadie, chamber chairman, told members on Monday it was now crunch time.

Mr Eadie said: 'We have spent two or three days going round the entire town giving out requests for funding for the lights, we covered every factory and every outlet on the industrial estates.

'We need about £11,000. In previous years we've been short by around £2,500 and the shortfall has been met by the chamber, but we are not in a position to do that this year.'

Mr Eadie said 75 different organisations or businesses had made contributions, which was fantastic, but that time was running out, as replacement lightbulbs needed to be ordered by the end of next week. The lights cost around £8,750 — the remaining £2,500 was needed for entertainment, advertising, administration and competition prizes on Dickensian Evening.

Georgina Elias told the meeting: 'We either do the lights, or Dickensian, because at the moment, that's all we can afford — it's one or the other.'

Linda Walker of A Scent-sation said: 'I think we have to look at Dickensian not being one night of the year. People that come that one night, if they like what they see, they will come again.

'I don't make any money on Dickensian, I do it to support the rest of the traders, I benefit the following days. I am happy to support Dickensian and I think it will be a great shame if it stopped.'

Graeme Sim of Eastgate Brasserie was surprised the staging of the Christmas lights fell on the chamber.

'This might be naive but is it normal that in a little town like Tavistock, the businesses pay for the lights?' he asked.

Mr Eadie told the meeting that it was 'totally abnormal' for a chamber of commerce to fund Christmas lighting — but that was the tradition in Tavistock.

He told the chamber he was due to meet members of the town council next week, in a last-ditch effort to raise enough funds to stage the two festive events.

'Maybe they will be able to help us in terms of £4,000. If the council could help more, maybe we could save the lights and save Dickensian — that would be a great story to tell people.'

The chamber agreed that whatever the outcome of this meeting, Christmas lights would go up — but that Dickensian evening may have to be scaled right down if no more cash was forthcoming.

Businesses which have not yet contributed to the appeal are urged to do so as soon as possible. Donations are very welcome from members of the public. Cheques should be sent to Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 130, Tavistock PL19 8FA.