Wigan family to host annual charity Christmas light switch-on
An illuminating tradition of Wigan’s festive season is set to to be switched on next Sunday.
The Holden family have been dazzling spectators with the Christmas lights display outside their home on Davy Road, Abram for over a decade - always for a good cause - and this year will be no different.
The display will, this year, raise funds for Daffodils Dreams whose mission is to improve the lives of children and families living in poverty in Wigan.
The family did their first fund-raising for Wigan and Leigh hospice in 2015, and over the years a total in excess of £10,000 has been raised for a variety of local causes.
Mum Sarah Holden said: " We just love Christmas and always have done. We started to decorate the outside of our house once we had children.
“It got bigger and bigger, then the people that came along said ‘why don’t you do it for charity?’ and it got us thinking of all the different causes we could give a hand to.
“We chose small local charities as we feel they sometimes get forgotten and a thousand pounds to them is greatly appreciated which makes it so worthwhile.”
The switch-on event started as a small party with friends and family then Sarah and her husband decided to open the event up to anyone at the front of their home in Abram.
Last year the switch on alone raised over £600 through the generosity of passers-by and people who come each year to enjoy the lights.
The family offer refreshments for free but stress that donations would be ideal to help the charities they pledge to support.
She added: “There is a box at the front in the fence for donations and every single penny goes to the cause, we don’t take anything out for lighting or electricity costs."
Daffodils Dreams believes every child deserves a fair start, no matter their background or their parents' financial situation.
The money raised will go towards providing essential support to children in Wigan, offering clothes, bedding, toiletries, and activity vouchers, allowing them to enjoy their childhood.
The switch-on will take place on December 1 from 4pm, and the lights will be on every night until New Year’s Eve.