Tintinhull Christmas lights show ‘biggest yet’
THE couple behind the staggering Tintinhull Christmas light display have said this year’s show will be “bigger than ever”.
The showstopping Christmas house lights of Dan and Mark Extance-Warr, which have been an annual attraction for the past five years, is always a crowd drawer.
The pair have confirmed that this year’s display will be lit on December 1, contain new scenes and will stretch into the back garden for the first time ever.
Dan said: “It’s been a slow process setting up, we’re a bit behind but this year thankfully we’re not in lockdown so we have the help of our family and friends.”
He said they were “a bit nervous” about going live because of last year which saw large crowds descend on the property near Yeovil and forced the lights to be switched off.
Dan said: “I think we’re feeling a bit nervous as last year we had stress due to the sheer amount of crowds but this year we’re hoping that no lockdown means people will be able to flow around much better. We would still hope that people would stay in their family groups and keep some social distancing where possible.
“This year we’ll be turning off January 1. Last year it took us four weeks to pack it all away and this year is bigger than ever again.
“We have extended it, as Wizard
Marquees Events have lent us an even larger marquee which means we can for the first time have our display going into the back garden.”
The pair have endless enthusiasm for the task which sees them work into the small hours of the morning in the run-up to the big switch-on.
Dan said: “We just love it, we used to do Carnival so we’re used to the big build-up and then long hours. So now we put all our energy into this.”
Dan stressed that any resident who had any concerns or thoughts should approach them to discuss it.
He said: “I would want to say that we’re happy to talk to any resident who has requests for help, either getting cones put outside their drive or anything they can think of or need.”
The couple have issued the following guidance to anyone wishing to stop by: “We are aiming to be open for December 1 this year (with a previewing for villagers only).
“This year’s display will switch on at a later time of 6pm, to enable villagers a chance to get home from work, and park up without the hassle of contending with crowds.
“This will also help with the rushhour traffic during the week.
“We will however switch on earlier (4.30pm) on Saturdays and Sundays.
“As we have always asked – please do not park down the main street, as this causes problems and makes it more dangerous for pedestrians.
“Please keep noise to a minimum and respect our neighbours. Please make sure that children do not run on ahead – keep them with you at ALL times (even when walking around the display)
“Please stay in your groups and still keep a distance whilst walking around. We will be running a oneway system again this year to help with the flow
“Lastly, yes it’s a free show, but please remember this is for charity, so we ask that everyone donates whatever they can afford too.”
Each year the proceeds of the display goes to charities and while the pair haven’t yet decided which local charities will benefit they know some money will go to It’s In the Bag – a testicular cancer charity, Macmillan and the Air Ambulance.