Washington family's Christmas decorations display returns for 2024

Sunderland Echo

The Illsleys' Christmas Lights in Washington, Sunderland have been switched on for 2024. Dad-of-two Bradley Illsley talks about spreading festive cheer, and raising money for the Heel and Toe Children’s Charity.

Transcript

00:00It's something that we've gathered over the years from family and it's just gradually

00:06getting bigger and bigger as the years go on. My name's Bradley Ilsley and I'm here at the

00:12Ilsley's Christmas Lights display. It started with me nan. It was just a couple of silhouettes on the

00:17wall and some icicles and then as I got older I took over and it's just started getting bigger

00:25I must have been about 16. You can see the difference every year of pictures and stuff when

00:33we do the switch on and that but we've only done the switch on this will be the third year now

00:40so it's gradually getting out there. As it was getting popular people started saying that we

00:47should do it for charity and that and then I looked into it and this will be our fourth year

00:53now doing it for charity. We're raising money for the Healing to Children's charity and this

00:58will be our second year doing it for them. We've got a QR code and obviously the donation bucket

01:05but any donations are more than welcome. This is currently my mam's house that I do the lights at

01:11and obviously me and my partner live somewhere else but we're not looking at moving the display

01:18because I enjoy doing it here and this is where everybody knows.

01:30It normally takes me about three weeks to put it all up and then test it obviously but other than

01:37that it's just getting the time to do it. I currently have a part-time job and my time off

01:44from work is what I do to come and do the lights. I'm just trying to fit it in with school runs and

01:53everything else. I've got a son and daughter, they love it. They're always pestering me asking me to

01:59get it out and all that. Oh it's really nice, it smiles on people's faces, it just lightens everything up.

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