Thousands of pounds have been set aside to splash out on a stunning display of Christmas lights for Sheerness.

The good cheer has been announced by the Sheerness Enhancement Association for Leisure (SEAL), which has secured the sum of £6,750 for new lights.

Funds have come from the Sheerness Town Team and after years of being over shadowed by displays in other towns, the area is set to sparkle over the festive period.

SEAL chairman Chris Foulds is delighted that the money has come in after his organisation began to take a role in helping the town to shine by decorating Sheerness clock tower with a starburst of blue and white lights.

The organisation wants to extend the blue and white theme to include festive motifs along the High Street, and for the first time in many years to take in the Broadway.

Mr Foulds said: “Even before SEAL was set up I was always keen to see a decent lights display in Sheerness as there have been a number of problems with lights not working.

“The starburst we introduced on the clock tower is really effective but it doesn’t match up with the old-fashioned coloured lights along the High Street and that’s something we want to change.”

He thanked the Sheerness Christmas Lights Association for all its good work in the past and said that SEAL intended to purchase the new lights from the Somerset-based Festive Lighting Company, as well as Jessops Electrical in Chatham.

The town is looking forward to a brighter future, after a raid in February 2011 when £150,000 worth of Christmas lights were stolen from a lock-up off the High Street. Nine sets of 12-ft wide illuminations went missing in the break-in.

Andrew Deeley, chairman of Sheerness Town Team said: “We are pleased to be putting in some much needed investment into the Sheerness Christmas lights and to bringing in some seasonal cheer.

"I’m sure the display will be appreciated and may even bring some new faces into the town for Christmas shopping.”