Grangemouth family lights up garden at Christmas for Strathcarron Hospice

The festive illuminations in the garden of Senga and William Morris’s home in Wallace Street have become a familiar sight over the last few years and, more recently, they have also become a source of funding for charities.

Last year the lights helped raise £2000 for Alzheimers Scotland and this year the family hope people will be equally generous with their donations for Strathcarron Hospice and the vital work they do.

The couple’s daughter Nicole Ritchie, who once again put the decorations in place with husband Scott, said last year’s collection was in the name of her grandfather James Grant, who sadly died of COVID-19.

She said: “We had a family member in Strathcarron Hospice before and I heard it had been struggling during the pandemic. So I asked my mum and dad and they said it would be good idea to raise funds for the hospice this year.

"We have a donation tin at the front garden. The decorations went up on November 17 and we have already managed to collect almost £100 so far.”

This year there is also a letter box so youngsters can post their Christmas letters to Santa.

Nicole said: “We’ve had quite a few letters in the box already. If you put a return address on the letter we will make sure Santa sends a reply.”

The collection tin will be in the garden right up until Christmas Eve and the decorations will still be on display throughout the festive period.

It was in the troubled year of 2020 the garden became more than just a sight for sore eyes.

At the time, Nicole said: “Everyone loves them and think they’re beautiful and it makes my mum and dad happy knowing they’re bringing a little cheer to everyone, especially the wee ones.

"After everything that has happened this year, my parents just wanted to bring a little happiness back. After losing my granddad, putting the decorations up certainly helped us cope and brought a smile to our faces.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V