Despite what has been a challenging year for all, this year KWL took on the installation of the biggest Christmas light scheme ever created for Hull, in the hopes of spreading festive cheer through the city, at a time when it is needed most.
Every year, a team of around 14 people – members of the Electrical and Street Lighting teams at KWL – join forces to light up the city of Hull for the festive season. The project, which took 7 weeks to complete, spanned across 228 separate elements. The largest element, being the 45ft Christmas tree opposite the City Hall, was hoisted in by the Hull City Council and took approximately 2 days for the team to decorate.
Totalling a staggering 45,600 individual LED lights, the scheme was discussed between KWL and the Hull City Council earlier this year. Plans were confirmed and any alterations were made, one of which was the installations at the Marina – a brand new addition for 2020.
Subsequently, the Hull City Council Projects team designed the lights in cohesion with their supplier, allowing KWL to form a program of works. Once the order was placed, permission was granted for the work to commence. Usually this begins after the spectacle that is Hull Fair, but with its unfortunate cancellation, the KWL team started putting up the lights around the city one week earlier than usual.
In a year where Covid-19 has put so many traditions at risk, thankfully the Christmas light installation was safe to go forward. Working outside in the open air and at heights meant that the KWL staff were able to socially distance, and wear PPE on the rare occasion where this was not possible, keeping contact to an absolute minimum.
John Shann, Electrical Contract Manager at KWL, who has been involved with the Christmas lights for 20 years explains:
“With such a massive project it can be a difficult task for the team – working in all weathers with varying shift patterns – but it is massively rewarding. Despite the early starts and late finishes, everybody just gets on with it.
“There’s a huge element of pride and satisfaction when the lights are finally switched on, knowing the KWL team have achieved that collectively. The operatives did a fantastic job, as they do every year. It’s a huge team effort and I commend them all for their perseverance and hard work. It wouldn’t be possible without them!”
“The lights will be taken down in early January, in a process that will take around 2 weeks. Until then, we hope you enjoy taking in the sights around the city and wish you all a safe and happy Christmas.”