[Acrylic-bob]

Some of the towns stallholders and shopkeepers might feel agrieved at being left out of the festival - that's good - encourage them to take part by taking a stall for the evening.

Gayle could actually do a bit to help by persuading her various groups to make stuff especially to be sold for the event and talking endlessly to the Observer and the Telegraph about it. Schools could also take part through competitions which would have their culmination on the evening of the event.

Your only expenses so far are the Christmas Tree and the fee for the Special Events Notice, which, as the event is for the good of the town centre, the council will be leant on or, shamed into, waiving. Take what is available voluntarily and use it to the maximum and that way it won't cost much at all. Get all the participants blogging and tweeting and posting vids on Youtube prior to the event - free publicity. A poster in every school and community centre etc etc.

But the most important thing of all it will be the people of Accrington organising the whole thing. Doing it for themselves instead of allowing the council to fork out vast sums of taxpayer cash directly into the pockets of Z-list celebrities and wanna-be's for a few half-hearted renditions of half-witted pop ditties.