Couple cover their Portchester house in Christmas lights for charity

Bill and Barbara Wright are back this year for an even bigger Christmas decoration display which has seen their home transformed into a festive wonderland.

The couple have been adorning their house with lights for more than 50 years, but it was only when one of their friends said they should do it for charity, that they upped the ante.

For the past 20 years, they have been using their lights as a way to fundraise, and this year will be the third year they are raising money for their local foodbank, Woodsy’s Food Pantry.

The local foodbank has seen an increase in the amount of people accessing it’s service and a decrease in people donating food, and the money raised from the couple’s lights will help throw them a lifeline to continue to support families to it’s fullest potential.

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Bill said: ‘We have been doing it for 50 years but as far as charity goes maybe 15 to 20 years. We did it for the children really and then someone said why not to it for charity.

‘We get an awful lot of joy out of it and for several years people weren’t able to come into our garden and see the lights properly, but this is the first year they can, and there is so much excitement and we get so much joy hearing other people talking about it.’

The pair managed to raise over £3,000 last year and there is no stopping them, with Bill saying they will continue raising money for the food bank for as long as they physically can.

Bill added: ‘We are taking it all in our stride. A number of people have said about the cost and of course there is a cost but I don’t smoke or drink and if I did these things it would cost a lot more and we spend money to help other people.’

There is a donation box outside their house where ‘every penny that comes in, will go out’ and be donated to the foodbank, and they are hoping to raise more than £3,000 this year.