Thousands of lights shine bright and raise £5,500

Lindsey Lodge Hospice and Healthcare invited supporters and local businesses to take part in its very first Festival of Lights, by simply decorating their house or Christmas tree with lights to raise much needed funds for the Burringham Road based charity.

Participants sent in pictures of their decorations, which were displayed on the charity’s website and social media.

The campaign saw people across North Lincolnshire coming together, with the Lakeside community even hosting a light switch on event, where local families gathered to see the display come to life, featuring children’s entertainment and even a visit from Santa himself.

One couple from South Ferriby, Martyn and Rachael Bell, managed to raise an amazing £2,000 with their light display. The couple took part in Festival of Lights in memory of Martyn’s sister, Karen Blyth, who passed away at Lindsey Lodge in July.

They said: “This is the first time we have done any fundraising and we have been overwhelmed with people’s generosity. One person took us from £1,600 to £2,000!”

“We had hundreds of people coming from as far as Scarborough and Bridlington, they were queuing down the street to see our display.”

They added: “It’s been lovely to be able to give children a smile at Christmas and we look forward taking part again this year.”

Fundraising Assistant Courtney Deans said: “It was amazing to see so many beautiful lights glistening in aid of Lindsey Lodge.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their efforts for our Festival of Lights campaign. Not only have they provided families with some wonderful displays to visit at Christmas, they have raised an impressive amount of money that will go directly towards caring for our patients and their families.”

For more information about fundraising events at Lindsey Lodge please visit the 'events' section of this website.