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Family-run Christmas lights show in Leeds aiming to raise £4000 for Martin House

A family run Christmas lights display in Leeds is hoping to raise up to £4000 for Martin House Children’s Hospice over the Christmas period.

Hodgson Family Lights, based in the Cross Gates area of Leeds, has begun taking  “snownations” – with the proceeds going to Martin House. 

210 LED snowflakes have been attached to the front of the Hodgson’s house – and for a £20 “snownation”, donors can dedicate a snowflake to anyone they wish. 

Each snowflake lights up individually as a screen displays the name of the person to whom it is dedicated. 

Snownations can be made online (http://littlewarden.wufoo.com/forms/snownations) and other donations can be made via Just Giving or using the cash donation boxes found at the display. 

Each of the 210 snowflakes lights individually as the sponsors name is shown.

The chosen charity, Martin House Children’s Hospice, offers support to young people with life-limiting illnesses and their families.  

Dom Hodgson, who plans, constructs and sequences the display, chose to support Martin House after volunteering for the charity.  

He said: “I just saw the impact that Martin House had, not only on the children involved, but also the families, the brothers and sisters.

“Brothers and sisters tend to be forgotten about in that environment – for an organisation to think about the whole family, it just made a difference.”

In addition to the snowflakes, a six meter scaffolding has been built around the back of the house and fitted with lights, all of which are sequenced music – including Christmas songs, Disney songs and Leeds United football anthem Marching on Together. 

The lights are sequenced to music – including a singing Christmas tree and bauble backing singers

The Hodgson family describe the lights show as a family hobby which came about after the Coronavirus pandemic caused their family holiday to be cancelled in 2020. 

Having used 300 lights in 2019, the display featured 7,500 lights in 2020 – a number which has risen to 25,000 lights in the display this year. 

Each individual light is hand-fitted and the project takes a year to coordinate from planning to completion. 

Dom added: “We started planning when last year’s show was on. The show finishes at 8pm – we go inside, sit down and say: ‘How did that go? What can we add next year?’ 

“I get my notepad out and start scribbling – and over the last week I’ve already decided what we’ll be doing next year.” 

The snowflakes will continue to light up from 4-11pm each evening until the new year – with the lights sequenced to music running from 5-8pm until Christmas Eve. 

For more information about the display and how to donate, visit https://www.hodgsonlights.com, or find Hodgson Family Lights on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@HodgsonLights).

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