THE Thirsk and District Business Association's ladies group have raised £4,000 towards the town's Christmas lights appeal with a dinner-dance.

The event, at Solberge Hall, near Northallerton, was attended by 110 guests and had a Eurovision theme and a disco run by Northallerton-based UFO.

Jill Miller, who organised the event with Mark Boersma, Vicky Calvert and Sal Billany, said the raffle raised £1,100, while an auction boosted funds by £2,400.

Mrs Miller said a host of local firms, including Arty Party, had supported the event.

The group has also raised £1,500 this year by staging quizzes, £500 through a sponsored walk and £4,000 through fashion shows at the Well Heeled boutique, Thirsk.

She said: "We are going to replace all the Christmas light bulbs with LED ones, which will reduce our annual electricity bill from £1,500 to around £100."

The town's lights will be switched on at 6.30pm on November 27.

Anyone interested in joining the group, members of which can be retired, can email jmiller8007@aol.com