Watch: Telford neighbours raise funds for dog rescue charity with festive lights displays
A group of neighbours in Telford are lighting up their street with Christmas decorations every night to raise money for a local dog rescue charity.
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Residents of Gordon Road in Trench first started decorating their homes with lights to bring some festive cheer to the neighbourhood during the Covid pandemic, and it went down so well that it has now become an annual tradition.
As more neighbours have got on board, extra displays have been added - some houses are now almost completely covered with flashing decorations.
Every night spectators are drawn to the cul-de-sac to see the displays, leaving donations for Hillbrae Rescue Kennels.
Angela Weston, one of the organisers, said: “It started around lockdown, we decided we were putting some lights up to cheer ourselves and our kids up, and it’s grown from there.
“It has got bigger every year. We’ve not had the end lit up before but there are new tenants this year and they have jumped at the chance to get involved.
“We have to block the road off because it gets pretty busy down here with people coming to have a look.
“It started just as a little thing for us, then it hit the radio the first year and more people have heard about it.”
This year’s displays have been up since before Halloween, and the neighbours are already thinking about how to make the spectacle bigger and better for 2024 and beyond.
Around £800 has already been raised for the charity from this year’s displays, and the group is aiming to surpass £1,000 by Christmas – the first time they will have hit the milestone.
Resident Dave Ball said: “They are very grateful because they really need the donations.
“A fortnight ago we asked how they were doing and they said they were running out of food, so we took £100 of the money and got 150 tins of food. We thought it was better to do it that way than to keep it all until the end.”
The new festive tradition has also helped foster friendships and a sense of community spirit among the neighbours, who are all Wrekin Housing Group tenants.
Dave added: “It’s great that everybody gets involved. We all get on really well.”
