Brilliant Broom Christmas display featuring 450,000 decorations raises whopping £10k for Sue Ryder hospice

'We do something different each year and just the sheer volume of people who turned up was incredible'
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A festive couple from Broom have raised an incredible £10,000 for charity thanks to their jaw-dropping Christmas lights display.

Villagers Anne and Paul Nicholas invited visitors into their garden to view their 450,000 decorations, all in aid of Sue Ryder St John's Hospice, Moggerhanger.

The attraction generated a whopping 10,000 guests during the holiday season, with a grand total of £10,169 going towards end of life care.

The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.
The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.

Paul, 59, told the Chronicle: "The whole thing went absolutely brilliantly.

"We do something different each year and just the sheer volume of people who turned up was incredible.

"The children's favourites were the big present, Santa's reindeer and his sleigh, and of course the snow machine!"

The amount raised by Paul and Anne each year has grown and grown, with the couple raising £600 in 2018, £1,100 in 2019, and £4,000 in 2020.

The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.
The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.

They are thrilled to have smashed their previous total, which they thank in part to a feature on BBC Look East (West).

Paul said: "It was so much busier than last year. We had people coming from the other side of Cambridge, Peterborough, Shefford, Langford, Barford, everywhere. They came for miles.

"We had to open up for five extra days."

The couple are planning to create an enchanted forest next year and would like to thank people for their generous donations and comments.

The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.
The lights display. Photo: Anne and Paul Nicholas.

Paul said: "Our neighbours sent us a card saying 'Merry Christmas and thank you for being the best Christmas present'. You want to bawl your eyes out with some of the comments - they are really, really lovely."

He and Anne would also like to say thank to everyone who helped them put up their decorations and to the hardworking staff at St John's Hospice.

Remembering a highlight, Paul concluded: "The one thing that springs to both our minds is something extremely wholesome. There was a young boy who came round. He was about nine, severely autistic, wearing headphones and he touched eveything.

"He didn't want to come in when he started but he eventually came in and at the end of the evening - he was there for a good couple of hours - his Dad came up in tears and said he's never seen his son so happy.

"It was incredible."