Ripon’s Mrs Claus awarded for her festive lights

A lady from Hutton Conyers, near Ripon, has earnt the title locally as Mrs Claus after organising Christmas lights displays on her house for the past decade.

Rosamund Robinson, known as Roz, lives with her husband Bill and is a Christmas fanatic.

During the festive season you will often find her dressed in a sparkly jumper or even as a reindeer going round the village delivering presents to children.

Christmas is her favourite time of the year and despite being a 77 year-old retiree she has no plans to slow down.

She says she “has a good few years left of lights in me” and with the help of her family, including three daughters, she will continue putting on her light displays.

Roz was nominated for the Stray Ferret’s Christmas Lights Competition by her granddaughter Lauren Kelly. The competition was sponsored by Yorkshire Lighting and Electrical Services.

She was announced as the winner on Tuesday night.

She said:

“I think it’s brilliant, more people have come to look at the lights which means more donations for the hospital. Even the bin men that came this morning recognised me from the Facebook live!”

Christmas lights display on a house near Ripon.

Roz was “so pleased” to win the Christmas lights competition.

This is the first year Roz has put a collection box out for the lights. She wanted to raise money for Ripon Hospital as a way to thank them for looking after several members of her family in previous years. She added:

“They’re amazing at the hospital every time I visit I feel like I’ve known the staff for years. They are so lovely and this year they have worked so hard that they deserved a little boost.”

Her collection pot currently stands at £1,000.

For winning the competition Roz was gifted a £150 Lights4Fun voucher which she said is also going to the hospital to allow them to buy some new lights for next Christmas.

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The lights were put up on November, 1 and are lit up from 4.30pm to 9pm every day.

After New Years Day Roz brings a team together to bring them all down, which she says takes a few days.

“I’ve already started thinking about next year’s display. After doing it for so long people expect me to keep it going. I just really love Christmas and the fact I’ve been able to raise money doing something I love is great.”

Competition launched to find district’s best Christmas lights

The search is on to find the best lit house in the Harrogate district this Christmas! With the help of Yorkshire Lighting and Electrical Services, the Stray Ferret is looking for those who’ve gone that extra mile to make Christmas 2020 more magical than ever.

The competition will launch on Facebook on Monday 23 November, and anyone can nominate themselves or a neighbour.

Glen Molloy from Yorkshire Lighting said:

“I’m delighted to be working alongside the Stray Ferret to try and bring some Christmas cheer in these hard times. It’s been a difficult year for everybody, and I’m hoping this will bring some joy to those neighbourhoods that get involved. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the hard work that goes into lighting up so many houses for Christmas 2020.”

Aside from the pride of the title of ‘Best Christmas Lights in the Harrogate District’, the winner will receive a £150 voucher from Harrogate company Lights4Fun – so they can go even further next year!

Simon Norton, Marketing and Customer Experience Director at Lights4fun said:

“This year more than ever before, the home is at the heart of Christmas. There are many ways in which lighting has lifted our spirits, from outdoor displays that brighten the evenings of those passing by to placing candles in windows in support of key workers. As a Harrogate business we are proud to partner with the Stray Ferret in their search for the best dressed Christmas house. We truly care about our community and are always so proud to support our local causes and businesses.”

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