Spectacular Christmas light display helps to raise £400 for charity

Roy and Eva Cooke’s house is decorated with over 23,000 sparkling and imaginative lights during December and early January.

They stretch over neighbouring homes in Feltwell helping to light up their properties and attracting people to visit and add donations towards the Christmas lights spectacular.

Over the years they have raised vital funds for charity and for the past two years have been collecting for the My WiSH Charity, which supports the work of the West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket Hospital and community services in Suffolk.

Back in 2020 Roy, 71, and his wife raised £500 and thanks to their efforts towards the end of 2021 and into the first week of 2022 they collected £400.

The money is being directed towards the phlebotomy department at the West Suffolk to buy treats for young patients who need a blood test.

Roy said his 70-year-old wife was treated at the hospital in 2020 after she became “poorly” and added: “We thought that we would show our appreciation to the staff for what they had done for Eva.”

A builder by profession before he was badly hurt in an accident, Roy is still able to climb his ladder and starts setting up the display, which also includes laser lights on his neighbouring properties, towards the end of September/early October.

He then tests them out to make sure they are all working and has a grand switch on on December 1 and they stay on until the end of the first week in January.

“We help to give our close a bit of a show and I also have a snow machine and switch it on when children come here and they just love it.

“We have a barbecue when we switch the lights on and the amount of people who come to take a look at the lights is unbelievable,” said Roy.

Sally Daniels, fundraising manager, thanked the couple and said “Roy works so hard to put on this display for everyone to enjoy and we can’t thank him enough. The money raised is amazing and the phlebotomy team are so grateful. Having a blood test can be a scary experience for young people but the staff are amazing at reassuring them and a treat at the end makes for a much nicer experience.”

Main photo: Roy and Eva Cooke with Shan Barns, phlebotomy supervisor

Take a look at the display below: