Lee and Paul Brailsford: Christmas decoration wizards

For more than two decades they have decorated their mother's home in Brentry annually to raise money for charity

Brothers Lee (left) and Paul Brailsford beside their mother's house in Brentry, Bristol (PA)

Dreaming of a bright Christmas?

Untangling a knot of fairy lights to wind around the Christmas tree and draping an armful of tinsel around the house might constitute a decent effort in most households when it comes to sorting out the yuletide decorations, but Lee and Paul Brailsford like to pull out all the stops.

I’m all for decking the halls with boughs of holly but this is something else…

The brothers, from Bristol, don’t do things by halves. For more than two decades they have decorated their mother Rosemary's home in Brentry annually to raise money for charity. On Tuesday night hundreds of people congregated outside the house to witness the switch-on of more than 50,000 Christmas lights.

I’d hate to see their electricity bill.

Nineteen local companies sponsored this year's spectacle to help cover costs and provide equipment for the switch-on. The display required 200,000m of cabling and cost a whopping £10,000. It will be illuminated for six hours per day for 31 days – a total of 186 hours. Visitors will be greeted with the sight of 70 light-up figures, including Santas and snowmen, 30 sets of rope lights, 10 sets of twinkling icicles, 50 rope-light shapes, trains, elves, soldiers and a light-up nativity on a specially built stage.

How long does it take to construct the display?

This year’s creation has taken six weekends to put together and the brothers will spend three days taking it down.

Have they raised much money?

The pair began the annual tradition in 1994 and have since amassed more than £30,000 for The Grand Appeal, the charity for Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. “Paul and I both have young children, and we realised how lucky we are to have such a fantastic hospital right on our doorstep if ever we needed it,” Lee Brailsford said. “We raised more than £8,000 last year alone, and would love to do even better this Christmas.”

It’s a wonderful life, isn’t it?

Nicola Masters, director of The Grand Appeal, said: "The switch-on has become something people from all over the region really look forward to and the event that really gets people into the Christmas spirit.” She added: “Every penny raised will help Bristol Children's Hospital to continue to provide them with the very best care, and make their Christmas that little bit brighter."