Summer may be just around the corner but one weekly newspaper is already planning ahead by running a successful campaign to save its city’s Christmas lights.

The Chichester Observer has managed to raise £15,000 to ensure festive cheer for shoppers this December after a last-minute £5,000 cash donation from a pensioner.

Group editor Colin Channon decided to launch the campaign after the city council last year said it wanted businesses to cover half the cost – but the poor response to this left the streets with virtually a Christmas lights blackout.

The appeal was started by the paper to encourage local firms to pledge money towards this year’s lights and the council agreed that if £15,000 could be raised this way, it would match the figure so the lights could go ahead.

Since the campaign started, pledges ranging from £20 to £1,000 had been donated towards the lights but with the deadline approaching only £10,000 had been promised in total.

That was until the Observer started to receive regular calls from an anonymous reader concerned about whether the target was any nearer to being reached, who was told there was still a £5,000 shortfall.

He then walked into the newspaper offices with a money bag around his neck and handed over the remaining money needed in bundles of £20 notes, while still declining to give his name.

Colin said: “We could hardly believe our eyes. It was an amazingly generous gesture and an absolutely fantastic end to our campaign.

“It has been a long struggle to get businesses in the city behind the bid to bring back the lights but despite everyone’s efforts it could have failed at the last hurdle without this incredible donation from one of our readers.”