Congratulations to MarpleFest on installation of town centre Festoon Lighting!
IIn December 2023 - after a social media poll confirmed support for the idea - the MarpleFest team launched a campaign to raise £20k to make the most of our thriving night time economy and present Marple in a better light (excuse the pun) by installing festoon lighting in Marple Precinct. The lighting is now complete the full length of Market Street, with plans to incorporate Derby Way in the future.
The aim of the lighting is to support our developing cafe and bar culture and make everything that happens in Marple town centre as enjoyable as possible. The Festoon Lighting will make regular events in the Town Centre Precinct so much better, not to mention enhancing security and safety in the precinct throughout the year as we enjoy supporting our local businesses.
But that's not the end of the story!
There are annual running costs to cover and also plans to include lighting on Derby Way too.
Read on to find out more and learn how the community can help with the next phase.
Phase One funding success!
Fund-raising began in December 2023 and has been a huge success.
Hard work from the team led to significant awards from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (£8k), Marple North & South Wards (£2k each) and the Macnair Trust (£1.5k), which contributed approximately 66% (£13.5k) of the funding needed. The balance of almost £7k was raised within the local community, the emotional highlight of this being the amazing contribution of £2,500 in memory of the late Tommy Tognarelli, co-founder of Marple Beer Run and well-known and respected Scout Leader in Marple for over 23 years. The team intend to find a way to dedicate the Festoon lights to Tommy and the hard work and dedication he has shown Marple over the years.
Funding summary:
| Source | Contribution |
| UK SHARED PROSPERITY FUND (UKSPF) | £8,000.00 |
| Tommy Tognarelli | £2,500.00 |
| Marple North Ward Council | £2,000.00 |
| Marple South Ward Council | £2,000.00 |
| MARPLE FEST DUCK HUNT | £1,551.00 |
| Macnair Trust | £1,500.00 |
| Anon. donations (33) | £970.00 |
| Individual donations < £50 (48) | £644.00 |
| Clare Kitchenham | £500.00 |
| Ruairi Kennedy | £200.00 |
| Julie Sissons | £100.00 |
| Kala Walsh (Make It Marple) | £100.00 |
| Sarah Laker (Stationery Supplies Marple) | £100.00 |
| The Marple Website | £100.00 |
| Thomas Barlow | £100.00 |
| Little toad photography | £50.00 |
| Total | £20,415.00 |
June 2025 update from MarpleFest:
Market Street Just Got a Whole Lot Brighter!
After months of dedication, generosity, and good old-fashioned community spirit, we’re delighted to share that the festoon lighting installation on Market Street is now complete!
Through generous donations from local residents, businesses, charities, and community groups, we’ve raised over £20,000 to bring this beautiful lighting project to life.
This has been a true labour of love for the MarpleFest team - with Clare, Aron, Julie, Liz and many more pouring in countless hours to make it happen. And we couldn’t have done it without:
- Marple’s local council and charitable organisations, who backed the project with thousands in funding
- Barlows, for handling the installation with care and professionalism
- The teams at Iceland and Edward Mellor, who supported the project on the ground
- The brilliant Tommy Tognarelli, a true friend of Marple
- The Marple Beer Run, whose support added vital momentum to the fundraising effort
- And, of course, the special donors (you know who you are) - your generosity has lit up Marple
This isn’t just about lights - it’s about creating a safe, welcoming, and vibrant space for everyone. The festoon lighting will help bring more life to Marple centre in the evenings, support local businesses, and make MarpleFest events - from the Christmas Lights Switch-On to our summer parties - even more magical.
From all of us at MarpleFest: thank you, Marple. You’ve made something truly special happen — together.
Official Switch-On Saturday 30 August 2025
More details in The Marple Website Community Calendar!
Phase Two: what's next?
Plans for Festoon Lighting in the Marple Precinct
For more detail please download this document prepared by MarpleFest.
Costs going forward:
To summarise the situation; MarpleFest have an agreement in place with Barlows, the installers, for running costs and have paid a bond of £2,000 to Stockport Council. If the running costs are not paid the council will release this bond to pay for taking the lights down.
So it's imperative that the annual running costs are funded by the community each year.
There is also £2,500+VAT still owed to Barlows to be paid over the next 5 years for the lights that have been installed.
The minimum running costs, covering power, debt to Barlows, maintenance and insurance are £275 per month. The monthly costs needed to run the lights and to also fund new lights on Derby Way within 3 years is £442 per month, or within 2 years it's £525 per month.
Seeking community support:
MarpleFest are seeking support from the local business community and individuals to achieve this.
It is proposed to have a "lead sponsor" each year who will contribute £1,000PA. For June 2025 to May 2026 this is Edward Mellor.
The group is also seeking support from the wider Marple business community, especially those who will benefit from the lights being in place, and from local people who would like to support the scheme. The suggested contribution from supporting businesses is £10, £20 or £30 per month and the suggested contribution from individuals is £2, £5 or £10 per month but any contribution is welcome.
All contributions will be regularly promoted and all income and expenditure will be publicly shared to remain completely transparent.
Sponsors announced by MarpleFest:
- Edward Mellor (Lead sponsor for 2025/26)
- Samuel Oldknow Bar
- Marple Pound Plus
- The Marple Website
How to make your contribution:
Please set-up a monthly standing order to the Marplefest account detailed below. Please put your name / business name as the reference, or if you wish to remain anonymous please name the reference in whatever way you wish for your own records.
Name of Bank: Lloyds Bank
Name of account: Marple Fest
Sort Code: 30 99 50
Account number: 67691160
Please consider supporting the Festoon Lighting running costs if you can
The Marple Website is proud to have contributed £100 towards the initial funding of this project back in 2024, and will be making a regular contribution of £2 per month towards the ongoing running cost too.
Who are MarpleFest?
MarpleFest is a small but dedicated team of volunteers first formed to organise a special Marple celebration for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. The street party they organised was such a success that the non-profit making group has stayed together and continued to do their best to help the community celebrate with regular events at Easter, Summer and Christmas.
Here's a selection of photos from the Platinum Jubilee Street Party that kicked things off in June 2022
Here are some images from other MarpleFest events:
