Western Morning News (Saturday)
Christmas tree sparkles with 54-year-old lights
BRITAIN’S oldest Christmas tree fairy lights have been turned on for the 54th consecutive year – without a single bulb ever being replaced. The lights bought for just £3 from Woolworths by Vina Shaddick in 1969 are continuing to burn brightly on a tree at the home of her son, Ross Farr-Semmens, 43.
They were passed to Ross after his mum died four years ago – and are now enjoyed by different generations as he has one baby and one more on the way.
Every year Ross anxiously brings out the plastic tree adorned with the string of colourful illuminations and describes it as a tense moment to see if they will switch on. This year they have once again illuminated his family home without a hitch – much to the delight of Ross, his wife Ruth, and their growing young family.
Ross, a music teacher in Plymouth, said: “It is always a worry – will they or won’t they work – but they came on straight away. We always check the wires, make sure there are no issues with them and that the plastic around the wires are intact as safety is our top priority. But they look fabulous.”
Ross says it’s a very special year, as alongside his son Ronnie, just 20 months old, he and his wife Ruth are expecting their second child any day now. He added: “I just love the way that I was seeing these lights when I was Ronnie’s age and now he’s seeing them. It is going from generation to generation and they have been a beautiful constant in our life.
“I just hope they are still shining for years to come – for another decade at least.”
The lights have traditionally remained in-situ all year round on the tree, for fear they are too fragile to disassemble. But for the first time in around 15 years, Ross carefully unwound them and replaced them without damaging any of the lights.
Traditionally, as the festive season rolls round, the black bag over the 1970s tree is carefully removed revealing the sparkly artefacts. Despite the longevity, Ross said he was not taking anything for granted in the future, and revealed he has spoken to electricians about how to keep them going.
And Ross said that if ever a bulb did need replacing, a kind stranger has now provided a set of spares to match the set.
He added: “It has been over half a century and we’ve still never needed to change a bulb. Following last year we now have new bulb replacements should we ever need them – a lady from St Austell saw me in the paper and decided to contact us, which I thought was really lovely.”