THE organiser of the Weston Christmas Light Display has revealed his drive-thru event raised more than £25,000 for Donna Louise Children's Hospice.

Graham Witter was determined the pandemic wouldn't prevent him from staging the popular fundraiser in 2020 so he staged the Starlit Garden in a different way to keep his visitors safe.

Graham and his family once again transformed the garden of their family home into a magical winter wonderland, which was visited by more than 5,200 cars throughout December.

The months of planning and hard work paid off as the light display raised £25,450 for the Stoke-on-Trent based hospice, which has a large shop in Crewe's Market Street.

It takes Graham's total fundraising for the hospice to a fantastic £150,300 since 2013.

Graham said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be handing over so much money to The Donna Louise. When I first started planning the display back in the summer I wasn't sure whether we would even be allowed to go ahead.

"But I came up with the idea of a drive-thru display so that people could enjoy the display from the safety of their own car.

"With most other Christmas experiences sadly cancelled, we were so relieved that we were once again able to bring some festive magic to our local community after such a challenging year. The support throughout December was overwhelming and our visitors were incredibly generous.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to my mum and dad, my amazing volunteers and sponsors, my event partner Whitby Morrison and principal sponsor Rhino Safety. Without all their generous support, our Starlit Garden wouldn't have been possible."

Graham has dedicated hundreds of hours decorating his family home, garden and farm buildings with thousands of festive lights and decorations to raise money for The Donna Louise in memory of his sister, Jessica.

Jessica, who had Cardio-facio Cutaneous syndrome, severe epilepsy, and complex health needs, spent time at the hospice in Trentham.

Graham's hard work and dedication saw him named in the Queen's Birthday Honours List last year and he will proudly receive the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to charitable fundraising and to the community in Crewe.

Dot Gillespie, Director of Care at The Donna Louise, added, "After the challenges of 2020 it would have been understandable if Graham had decided not to go ahead with December's display, but he was determined to make it a success and his Starlit Garden exceeded everyone's expectations.

"I'd like to say a massive thank you to Graham and his family on behalf of the children and their families who will benefit from the money he's raised. He really is a very special and dedicated supporter and we are so grateful for all his hard work."

Graham's latest fundraising cash will be used to fund The Donna Louise's music therapist for two years and buy some new musical equipment.