HUNDREDS of residents gathered to witness an impressive Christmas lights switch-on in a Shinfield neighbourhood.
Saturday’s event at Maybank raised money for the NSPCC and MacMillan Cancer Research, with visitors young and old enjoying the display.
The seventh running of the switch-on offered an ideal opportunity for members of the community to come together ahead of the festive period.
Organiser Liam Murray said: “This year is probably the biggest year we’ve done so far. We’ve pushed out quite a lot of social media awareness.
“Christmas is that time of year where you can bring everyone together and share something great. We’ve worked really hard to provide some Christmas spirit when you’re walking past Maybank.”
Visitors started arriving 45 minutes before the well-anticipated moment, hearing speeches from organisers and a representative from the NSPCC, who spoke about the importance of the charity’s work over the winter.
At 4.30pm, the children were asked to come forward to press the red button, which saw the Maybank houses’ impressive displays turned on simultaneously.
Liam said: “Last year was one of the most important years we’ve had, with it being the second year that Covid impacted, so we went really big. We sponsored two charities for the first time and raised over £2,500 just for putting some Christmas lights up.”
He described this year’s running as ‘bigger and better’. New for this year, visitors were able to take photos at a selfie stand.
Dan & Neil estate agents, of Avocado Properties, have sponsored the event for the past four years. Having grown up in Shinfield, the pair are keen to see new residents integrating into the community through events like this.
The organisers also thanked new sponsors Fullbrook Cleaning for supporting the switch-on, half-joking that the company had cleaned most of the street’s windows.
Completing this year’s line-up of sponsors were Sunbelt Rentals and Dobbies, who demonstrated larger companies’ dedication to support community initiatives.
Over the past few weeks, cherry pickers have helped the street’s residents decorate their roofs with festive lights.
