08 December 2006 00:00 Central Networks lights up Stoke community for Christmas

The villagers of Cauldon Low will be celebrating a brighter Christmas this year thanks to local electricity distribution company Central Networks.

Parish council officials in Cotton received a £2,500 grant from the company, which is part of E.ON UK, for new and replacement Christmas lights and decorations.

Central Networks offered a total fund of £35,000 to parish councils across central England to light up communities and they received almost 300 applications.

Central Networks Customer Operations Manager Phil Wilson said: “The spirit of Christmas is obviously very much alive within our region’s parishes and it’s great to be able to spread some cheer through our Christmas lights and decorations fund.”

“We were really impressed with all the entries but Cotton’s really stood out. The community group in the parish has worked really hard in previous years to provide lights for the village. We’re delighted that we’ve been able to give them a boost and replace some of the older lights and decorations.”

Wendy Bendall from Cotton Parish Council said: “We’d like to thank Central Networks for its grant. The new lights will make a real difference and will go up around our millennium garden.

“Previously we’ve relied on a small group in the community to fund our Christmas display. We’re grateful for the group’s tireless support and I’m sure our new decorations will make our Christmas display very special indeed this year.”

Cotton local MP Bill Cash said “This is excellent news for Cotton. The new display will really brighten up the village and help the community celebrate Christmas. It’s great that Central Networks has been able to help and the grant will make a real difference.”

The company, which serves 4.9 million customers across central England, launched the competition for the first time last year. After the success of the first campaign, Central Networks offered an extra £10,000 this time around to benefit even more parishes.

Ends

Photo Opportunity:
On Tuesday 12th December, Wendy Bendall from Cotton Parish Council will be joined by a representative from Central Networks for the Christmas lights switch on. The event will be held at the Millennium Garden, Main Road, Cauldron Low from 7pm.

Notes to editors:
•Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity and is a company of E.ON UK. The company brings power to 4.9 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
•Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

For further information contact:
Ellie King on 02476 183678
Out of hours, call 024 7642 4000 and ask for the duty press officer