RESIDENTS behind two of Downend’s Christmas charity displays say they will be bigger and better than ever this year.
In Boscombe Crescent, three families have joined forces to raise money for the Grand Appeal for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Nigel Grimsby and his son Matt coordinate the display from number 65, along with neighbours Jack and Michelle Bell, and Paul and Marie Pritchard.
Last year they raised more than £3,600 for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, and this year, as part of the charity’s Shine Bright appeal, money raised will go towards the Grand Appeal’s Patient Hotel, a facility offering a “home away from home” for families who need to stay close to children undergoing treatment.
The Boscombe Crescent lights switch on was set for November 23, with a visit at 4.30pm from the Christmas Dubs, a fleet of illuminated Volkswagen vans which attend Christmas events to raise money across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
The lights will stay on from 4.30-10.30pm every evening until Twelfth Night, with visitors encouraged to make donations in a collection bucket or via a QR code for smartphones.
Donations can also be made online at tinyurl.com/38rev9s8.
Nigel said: “It’s getting bigger and bigger every year.
“Last year we had 200-odd people at the switch-on.”
The display is known for its twin 10ft bears, and Nigel says they have a new pair this year, after last year’s were ruined by a freak storm.
He and Matt have spent their weekends throughout November putting up the display.
Just around the corner in Sutherland Avenue, 17-year-old Jake Skinner is preparing his seventh year of fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Jake started his display in honour of his sister Stacie Skinner, who died aged 17 on Christmas Day 2015, of anaphylactic shock.
Macmillan Cancer Support helped his nan, who passed away in 2021, when she had cancer. To date Jake has raised more than £20,000 for the charity, including £3,350 last year.
The switch-on at 26 Sutherland Avenue will take place on November 29 at 6pm sharp, with hot chocolate served from 5pm. The lights will be on from 5-8pm every night until December 27.
Jake has many new lights installed, and said: “The displays only get bigger each year.”
There will be cash donation buckets on site, with a QR code for giving by phone and online donations at tinyurl.com/4t4se4bd.
Also back is the Original Santa Float, which will visit Staple Hill, Mangotsfield and Downend on December 13, Pucklechurch on December 6 and Emersons Green and Lyde Green on December 22: more details can be found on the float’s Facebook page.
There will be no official switch-on event for the Park Road Christmas lights this year.