Christmas lights street raises cash for hospice

Dozens of families on the same street have covered their houses with Christmas decorations to raise money for charity.

About 80 residents on Wrenbury Drive in Rochdale are preparing for the street's own Christmas lights switch-on later.

Thousands of people each year visit the road to see the illuminations, which cover the houses and gardens.

There are QR codes on the road, so people can donate to nearby Springhill Hospice.

Peter Marr, who lives on the street, said they jhad been doing it for 25 years.

"It's snowballed over the years and it was absolutely packed last year with families - it was like a football match and the hospice is a wonderful cause," he said.

When asked by BBC Radio Manchester about his electricity bills, Mr Marr said he "daren't look" but he added: "Fortunately, they're all LEDs nowadays so you're not burning as much electricity as you would've done a few years ago."

The families on the street in the Burnedge area will co-ordinate the switch-on of their Christmas lights at 17:00 GMT.

The residents fundraiser brought in almost £2,500 last year.

The Springhill Hospice opened in 1989 and has 16 beds, which provide palliative care for patients from their diagnosis to the end of their lives.

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