Couple's 'Christmas house' raises £67k for charity

A couple who have decorated their home top to bottom with Christmas lights every year since 2012 have raised more than £67,000 for charity.

Helen and John Attlesey start putting up their thousands of lights and other festive decorations each September at their home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in time for a November switch-on.

Through the years they have raised funds for charities that have helped their grandson Jake, after he was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy.

Mrs Attlesey said the electricity bills were "part and parcel" of it, but keeping the tradition and fundraising going was their way of "putting back".

The house certainly stands out at night-time and brings festive cheer to local residents

It is known locally as "the light house" or "the Christmas house", Mrs Attlesey said.

This season's lights were switched on last week, but preparations take months.

People come from across the country to see the impressive display on Julius Martin Lane, which includes Father Christmas and snowman figures, toy soldiers, Nativity scenes and even swans.

"We have planes come over low, and we say they've come to see our house," she said.

"It goes all over the world - they [visitors] put it on the phones and the ww-things and Facebook and everything."

Helen Attlesey said the couple would keep putting on the annual display as long as they were fit enough to do so

Mrs Attlesey is now in her mid-70s and her husband John still goes up a ladder to create the scenes, but they also have help from their son.

"It's a novelty when we first start to put them up but half-way through, you think, 'oh dear...' and then it'll rain," she said.

The house attracts a regular stream of visitors.

Margaret Ryles, who comes up from Cornwall to visit her son in the town, said: "It's fantastic. It gets better every year, doesn't it?"

This year Lucy brought her 20-month-old nephew Ari along and said the toddler was "fixated" and loved "absolutely everything".

Meanwhile, Christmas fans Torie and Carl Ward said it was definitely not too early to have decorations, with Mrs Ward admitting she was about to go home to put hers up.

Margaret Ryles said the display never failed to impress

For the rest of the year, the Attleseys' large attic, garage and shed burst at the seams with Christmas items.

"We stuff it all in," laughed Mrs Attlesey.

Funds raised from the annual display go to Each - East Anglia's Children's Hospices - as well as Great Ormond Street Hospital and Dreamflight, a charity that takes seriously ill children on holiday to Walt Disney World in Florida.

Asked what the neighbours thought of the display, Mrs Attlesey said: "They say they don't mind and it's a good cause, but whether they just say that to us, I don't know. But lots of people say it's wonderful.

"The community seems to love it - so hopefully they mean it."

She said they had grand ambitions to raise £100,000, but was not sure they could manage that.

But the displays will keep coming "while we're fit and while we can - you never know what's around the corner, do you?".

The couple raise money for several charities through donations from visitors to the house