A LARGE tree is to be lit in Portishead for the first time this Christmas - in memory of the former chairman of the town's festive lights

A LARGE tree is to be lit in Portishead for the first time this Christmas - in memory of the former chairman of the town's festive lights committee.The group of volunteers, who each year spend hours illuminating the town for the festive season, will be decking out the tree at the corner of South Avenue with hundreds of lights.The plan to light the tree was the brainchild of former chairman and Christmas lights stalwart Dave Hill who died four years ago. Christmas Lights Committee chairman Barry Randall said: "We have been trying to put this scheme together for years and originally it was the idea of our late chairman Dave Hill."The town council and the committee is very keen to extend the lights into the new area of development and this is an ideal way of doing so."As it was Dave's concept it its something which we wanted to do in tribute to him."The tree, which is 100ft high, will be covered in a 'hairnet' of lights which will stay up all year round.The project is costing £6,000 and specialist contractors are being brought in to put the lights on the towering tree.A small stretch of road, between Station Road and South Avenue, will be closed for two days next week (September 24 and 25) to allow the contractors to fit the lights.Mr Randall said: "The tree will look spectacular when it is lit."As a committee we do not have the expertise to do this type of work ourselves and have had to bring specialist contractors in."Everyone is very keen to see the work done as it is seen as a way of extending the lights into the newly developed parts of Portishead and bringing the two areas together."The switch on of the town's Christmas lights takes place in November, details of which will appear in the North Somerset Times.