OXFORD Inspires, the organiser of this year's county millennium celebrations, has welcomed a £70,000 boost which will help fund a wintery festival of light.

The year-long festivities are closing with a series of colourful finale events, called Winter Light.

The events includes a display entitled Symphonie Conique by French company Airvag, which will take place in Broad Street, Oxford, on December 7 and 8.

Cathy Nightingale, a spokesman for Oxford Inspires, which has masterminded the year-long programme of cultural events, including the Luminox display in March, said: "The latest grant from Arts Council England will help the county's millennium year end on a high note and ensure that the legacy of Oxfordshire 2007 will benefit arts organisations in future years.

"Part of the funding will be used for Winter Light, a series of finale events across the county, which will create additional opportunities for artists and creative producers.

"The grant also covers development work to evaluate the year-long programme and plan future events.

"Oxford Inspires will use these resources to exploit the year's potential and secure a lasting positive impact in terms of opportunities for artists, arts organisations and audiences."

Oxford Inspires chief executive Sarah Maxfield added: "For Oxfordshire 2007's closing programme we wanted to raise awareness that local communities across the county can collaborate with professionals to mount their own spectacular events, which are exciting and locally rooted, and that this work can happen outside Oxford too.

"In doing so, we are building capacity in the county for future celebratory events as part of a Cultural Olympiad programme.

"We are extremely grateful to Arts Council England for their support."

Arts Council England also provided £80,000 funding for Oxfordshire 2007's major opening event, Luminox, which attracted more than 20,000 visitors to Oxford's historic Broad Street.

In Abingdon and Bicester, special light and sound productions by Oxfordshire company Pyro-Theatrix, local artists and community groups will highlight 1,000 years of local history.

Richard Russell, a spokesman for Arts Council England in the South East said: "Winter Light promises to be a series of visually exciting events across Oxfordshire, celebrating the culmination of 1,000 years of history and helping to place the arts firmly at the heart of communities throughout the county."

Events in the festival include: The Time Tellers (Abingdon, December 19); Chipping Norton lights up, featuring Symphonie Conique (Thurs Dec 6); Henley Christmas Festival, featuring Symphonie Conique (Friday Dec 7), White Night (Oxford, Friday Dec 7, Symphonie Conique, Dec 7 and 8); The Cycle of Time (Bicester, November 30).

In Oxford, the city galleries, theatres, museums and open spaces will open late on December 7 to host a series of themed events.

The Museum of Oxford is holding a Tudor-themed night, Oxford Castle a ghost festival and ice sculptures, and Gloucester Green will be transformed with an art fair.

Other events include carols at the Ashmolean, music at the Playhouse and cabaret at the Burton Taylor Theatre.

Visitors can explore the Pitt Rivers and Natural History museums by torchlight, listen to slam poetry at the Museum of the History of Science or go on a guided tour of Modern Art Oxford.

Blackwell's Bookshop will open late and the Oxford Bus Company is offering free travel for children under 15 accompanied by an adult.