WILTSHIRE Music Centre has been shortlisted to receive £12,500 from the Marks & Spencer Energy Fund to help it upgrade its auditorium lighting to LEDs in its 20th Anniversary year.

Now the centre in Bradford on Avon is urging local residents and music lovers to vote for its project on the M&S website as the project with the most votes wins the funding.

Spokesperson Camilla Johns said: “We’re raising money to install LED lighting in our auditorium in an upgrade which will reduce our carbon footprint by 90 per cent and save our charity over £5,000 every year that we can spend on delivering our work.

“To put the upgrade into motion, we need to raise £20,000, and with your help we can bring to life our plan for an even better centre in years to come. There are two things you can do to support us; vote and share.”

Wiltshire Music Centre has been a hub of creative learning, community and incredible live music for the past 20 years. Its 20th anniversary celebrations kick-off with a concert by jazz and classical pianist Gwilym Simcock on Saturday, December 9.

The Centre was created as a space where local musicians could rehearse, where young people could learn to play music and where artists from around the world could perform.

Every year, it hosts more than150 performances, creates music-making opportunities for over 5,000 young people, and welcomes over 60,000 people to experience and enjoy the Centre

Miss Johns added: “The lighting throughout our auditorium is very out of date and inefficient, but it is used every day and by thousands of people every year. “We are seeking funds to upgrade our lights to LEDs which will reduce our energy consumption by 90 per cent. We have the quotes and plans in place, but now we need the funds to undertake this work.

“We are hoping to achieve this in our 20th Anniversary year to support our town's pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2020. We currently have a Category B energy rating, but we are seeking to be even greener.

“With improved facilities, we can offer a better experience for young people, communities and visiting artists, whilst also channelling the £5,000 we would have spent on electricity and bulbs into our year-round programme of creative learning and music-making activities.

“This includes our free Music & Science Fair, Special School workshops, our programme of live events and Zone Club, our creative musical sessions for learning disabled young adults.”

To vote, please go to: https://www.mandsenergyfund.com/projects/wiltshire-music-centres-led-light-project