Neath group raises £5,000 in 24 hours for Christmas lights 3 November 2014 Last updated at 16:41 Residents in Neath feared that Christmas was cancelled after learning the local council would not fund their festive lights due to budget cuts. But a campaign to light up the town could save the Christmas cheer after it raised almost £5,000 in 24 hours. The Love Neath campaign saw £4,400 pledged in just one day after appealing to the community for help. The group hopes to raise £11,000 by 12 November to ensure the lights are switched on for the festive period. Dark Christmas Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe town centres are all facing a dark Christmas after an all-Wales reduction in local authority funding. The drop in funding was announced by the Welsh government in October, informing councils they will get £4.12bn in their block grants for for 2015 to 2016 - a cut of 3.4%. The projected cost of the Christmas lights in Neath town centre is £8,700. That includes the lights being put up, maintained, powered and eventually taken down, as well as £1,215 in energy costs and a charge for moving the "Welcome to Neath" sign. Campaign organiser Emma Knight said she was "ecstatic" after so much cash was raised in such a short time. She said: "The quicker we can get this money in, the quicker we can the lights up."