A famous ‘winter wonderland’ house in Tameside has managed to raise thousands of pounds for charity after only being set up for just a week.
It’s the house seen all across Greater Manchester.
And not just because it’s been festooned from top to bottom with some of the most spectacular Christmas lights and decorations you’ll ever see, but because it’s also gone viral online, racking up thousands of views, interactions and comments from admirers all over the region.
The house on Baroness Road in Audenshaw has certainly been drawing the crowds in over the past week, and it’s all been for a very worthy cause too.
Jamie Stirling has been putting lights outside his, now famous, home to celebrate the festive season for the last three years, but thought that this Christmas, after what has been a year like no other, the decorating should be taken to the next level.
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And that’s exactly what he did.
Included in the collection of decorations this year are more than 20,000 twinkling lights, traditional bells and ribbons, a gigantic inflatable Santa, and even a twelve-foot Christmas tree complete with candy canes for visiting children to take home with them.
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Ice skating penguins also take up the driveway, and a family of reindeer are found in the front garden.
What’s more is that, as well as the traditional decorations, a letterbox on the side of the house also means children can post their letters to Santa – and every single one gets a personal reply too.
How impressive is this?
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Speaking on this year’s festivities, Jamie said: “It’s been getting more popular every year but with lockdown I wanted something for the families and kids to enjoy. If we’re all going to be locked down, then we may as well just have a walk around and enjoy some Christmas decorations.”
“I’ve had people come down from Liverpool, Ramsbottom, Swinton, and Bury,” he said. “People have been driving a good distance to come and see it.”
The decadent display is thought to have cost near to £4,000 to put together, but according to Jamie, it’s money well spent, and it’s money he’s making it back in the name of charity too, as he’s already raised £2,000 that will go towards the region’s struggling families.
“We’ve really put some thought into it this year as we’re raising money for charity,” Jamie said.
“It’s had hundreds of shares and thousands of likes on Facebook and I’ve been contacted by local media [so] the general response has been really good [and] people have told us it’s great what we’re doing and it’s nice to see,
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“It makes it feel like a normal Christmas despite no one doing anything with the lockdown.”
He continued: Last year, people were trying to donate and I hadn’t even thought about trying to raise money, so this year we’ve decided to do a fundraiser for Wood Street’s Christmas appeal, for toys for struggling families [as] we thought it would be nice to do donations for them with lockdown bringing all the problems everyone’s going through.”
All donations before 9th December will be contributed directly to Wood Street Mission, and the remaining funds raised after that cut-off date will go towards the similar initiative – Hits Radio’s Cash for Kids Mission Christmas appeal.
“We’ve been really surprised with the donations – we didn’t set a specific target but thought that £500 would be brilliant and then within a week we’d hit £2,000,
“It’s been a really big success – really good.”
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And this success of the decorations and donations has already got Jamie thinking forward to what he can do to make sure 2021 is even better still.
“It’s definitely been worth it,” he explained, “everyone’s been calling it ‘the Christmas house’ and asking if it’s going to be a yearly thing and I’ve thought with this year’s success, I’ll definitely bring it back and already have plans for next year,”
“The amount of people turning up just to see it shows how it’s worked really well for everyone,
“I’m really pleased.”
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Gavin and Stacey will return with a 2024 Christmas special for its final episode
Danny Jones
After some pretty big rumblings earlier this year, it’s finally been confirmed that Gavin and Stacey will be returning for a Christmas special this year and what will be its last-ever episode.
The beloved British comedy last aired back in 2019 with their previous Christmas special and fans of the show have been crying out for more ever since.
Well, it turns out they’ll be getting just one more go around the block as co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones revealed that they have now finished writing their third and final Xmas special which will tie a festive bow on the trio of series which started all the way back in 2007.
Sharing a picture of the script on social media, the pair wrote: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James”.
However, what was actually going on was a bit of a red herring as she carefully chose to talk down any notions of another series but didn’t categorically dismiss the potential Christmas special.
In fact, she actually went on to add: “All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it, we would.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Well played, Nessa.
As for details surrounding the final chapter in the Gavin and Stacey story, we have very few details at this stage but fans of the iconic show will already be wondering how they might pick up from where certain threads left off.
Production companies Baby Cow, Corden’s Fulwell 73 and Jones’ Tidy Productions are all behind the special and, given the momentous occasion, it will likely have a primetime slot on the TV guide when it finally rolls around this holiday season.
So get your remotes, baubles and bhunas at the ready because Gavin and Stacey is coming back for one last time and it’s sure to be a TV event that people all across the UK will remember for years to come.
Featured Images — BBC/James Corden (via Instagram)
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Everton manager Sean Dyche randomly pops up in the music video for Blossoms’ new single – and he’s great
Danny Jones
Did anyone else think they’d ever see Sean Dyche make his acting debut in the role of a Northern crime boss in a silly little music video for the Blossoms?
No, us neither but that’s the bizarre alternate reality we’re living in, apparently.
Blossoms are currently working on the fifth studio album and have already released their lead single entitled, ‘To Do List (After The Break-Up)’, but now they have a new song out as well, with a rather amusing music video to go along with it and somehow Sean Dyche has found himself the star.
The Stockport band teased the curious collaboration in April, giving us just short glimpses of the Everton manager and former Burnley boss with very little explanation – all we know is that it looked funny and it was.
Dyche is still busy trying to finish the Premier League campaign as strong as possible after successfully navigating the Toffees to safety even in spite of their points deductions this season, but it sounds like keeping them up has given him enough time to moonlight as an actor.
Sending the indie five-piece on a mission to collect something of value (yes, that’s all the info we have at this point as the story is still to be continued), it looks like the Kettering-born coach has a larger role to play in whatever this narrative turns out to be.
Playing what can only be described as some kind of semi-Manc mafia figure on the hunt for a very valuable piece of art, i.e. a big giant gorilla statue – one that many Stopfordians spotted being lugged around various parts of the borough –
They also shared a little bit of BTS footage from the shoot for the music video last week. Some lovely head-bobbing and unassuming surroundings here:
As for the track itself, it’s a bit of stylistic change for the lads who’ve mastered their 80s-tinged indie formula over the past decade but it’s an absolute pop and is already stuck in our heads.
Revealing that they’ve collaborated with contemporary funk, disco and electronic icons Jungle on the track, it doesn’t take too long to hear the influences. Look forward to hearing it at Wythenshawe Park this summer.
You can watch the music video for ‘What Can I Say?’ and the ginger-goatee’d football manager extraordinaire in full character HERE.
He’s not the only footballing figure who’s made an entertainment crossover recently either.