Sheila Turner brings joy to her local community every festive season
An East Yorkshire house that “captures the magic of Christmas” has won a national award for its festive display of lights. Sheila Turner, of Shipman Road, Market Weighton, is responsible for the amazing illuminations that bring cheer to her fellow townsfolk.
Sheila has also used the display to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, for ten years, after losing her husband to a brain tumour. Now she has been crowned the winner of British Garden Centres’ (BGC) national “Light Up Your House” competition.
The UK’s largest family-run garden centre group chose Sheila’s festive spectacular as the winner, after she entered the contest through BGC’s Langlands Garden Centre, in Shiptonthorpe. BGC said Sheila’s house has become a destination in its own right, drawing smiles from neighbours and passers by as the Christmas season approaches.
The property is edged with multicoloured icicle lights and stars, while warm white cascades adorn the roof and porch, giving the whole frontage a welcoming, festive glow. In the front garden, a bare tree is transformed with hundreds of sparkling baubles and fairy lights, and beneath its branches a whole cast of illuminated snowmen, Santa, polar bears and other characters stand among candy canes, glowing parcels and twinkling borders, turning the garden into a “vibrant winter wonderland”.
The national competition invited customers from across the UK to share photos of their outdoor decorations, taking inspiration from BGC’s Christmas advert, which shows an ordinary house being transformed into a bright, colourful festive scene, bursting with lights and much loved characters that bring the magic of the holidays to life. Judges were particularly impressed with the level of detail in Sheila’s display and the way it brings the village together.
Lucy Hewitt, marketing campaigns manager at BGC, said: “Sheila’s home really captures the magic of Christmas. It has become a real talking point in Shiptonthorpe and shows how one house can light up an entire community.
“What we love most is the care and effort that has gone into every part of the display, from the roof lights to the figures in the garden, which creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere for anyone passing by.” As the winner, Sheila receives some fantastic prizes, including a collection of BGC’s own brand Fern Christmas decorations to make this festive season shine.
Sheila said: “We started decorating outside properly in 2015 and used the decorations to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, after we lost my husband to a brain tumour earlier that year. In the first year, we raised just £30, but every little helps.
“For the last three years, we’ve raised almost exactly £400 each year, which is amazing for just a local house on a local street. A few times we’ve had local businesses and neighbours donate, and for their help, we are ever grateful.
“Two years ago, a local boy gave us a medal for ‘Best Decorated House in Weighton’, a medal we still treasure. But this prize is truly on another level and will allow us to keep raising money for years to come, while keeping the display fresh over and over.
“For that opportunity, we cannot thank British Garden Centres enough. This prize will help us make a difference to as many families dealing with cancer as possible. We are beyond ecstatic to win.”
BGC has 73 centres around the country. Launched in 1990, the group is owned and led by the Stubbs family, who also own and operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire.