AN EBBW Vale businessman has penned a book of comedy poetry to help raise £10,000 for the town’s Christmas lights after last year’s display was called “pretty pathetic”.

Without a town council, Ebbw Vale Business Forum has to raise all of the money for the town centre’s lights itself and has so far got around £3,500 in the pot.

Organisers faced criticism last year after the display was described as “just one string of blue lights”, but this year they are hoping for something more impressive.

Jeff Jones, who has worked at Ebbw Vale insurance consultants Lawson D Jones for 38 years, first came up with the idea of producing a poetry book after being involved with Ebbw Vale Folk Club.

He began writing and performing poetry and has now penned a collection of his poems, which cover a range of topics from growing old to coping with trouble with mobile phones.

He said: “My poems are on anything, stuff we all experience really.”

Five hundred copies of the book, called Dear Santa I Can Explain, have been published and Mr Jones has already sold 100 in just a fortnight.

Mr Jones said: “It was a no-brainer really. The council stopped funding the lights about a couple of years ago. It’s been left to an ever diminishing band of volunteers.

“Instead of asking somebody for £5 for the Christmas lights I thought this would be a better way to fundraise.

“We were stung last year by the criticism. Last year it was pretty pathetic and was just one string of blue lights.”

Chairman of Ebbw Vale Business Forum, Phil Edwards, said: “We hope to put on a more respectable display this year. We want lots of lights right through town.”

He said the group has been fundraising for the last couple of months. Churches around the town have been trying to raise money and collection boxes have been put in quite a few shops.

Mr Edwards added: “We are going to need about £10,000. We have got enough money to erect then take the lights back down already, which is £3,500. We feel more positive it will be a better display this year.”

The book costs £5 and can be bought from shops in the town, including Pins & Things, Sweets & Things, Polka Dots, Heatwave Tanning Salon, Lawson D Jones Insurance Consultants, Enigma, Louis Fish Bar and K and P Furniture.