ILLUMINATION STREET WINNERS 2020
In its second year, we have seen entries to Illumination Street skyrocket. As the British public took to their streets once again to deck their neighbourhoods with twinkling fairy lights and stunning spectacles, it was great to see so many festively festooned homes. Sponsored by British Garden Centres group, Illumination Street has over £5,000 worth of British Garden Centres group gift vouchers to be won.
This Christmas especially, we needed some joy, so this has been the perfect opportunity to see families and communities come together to create visual delights full of snowmen, reindeers, polar bears, and nutcrackers.
From traditional wreaths to musically synchronised experiences, there was a huge variety in the competition this year, which made it hard for the judges to decide on the worthy winners. So, here are the spectacular selections that took the top spots this year:
LARGE OUTDOOR DISPLAY
This year we have seen more show-stopping homes in our Large Outdoor Display category. There were houses with wall-to-wall lights, 20ft inflatables and armies of penguins, so it was an incredibly hard category to judge. But here are our Judges votes.
This year’s WINNER is a truly jaw dropping display. Dan and Mark Warr-Extance of Yeovil, Somerset were the judge’s top pick. Transforming their bungalow into the Disney Castle, they created a truly stunning display, whilst raising money for charity. The pair will take home £1,000 worth of garden gift vouchers for their winning display.
Second place is awarded to Sue and Graham Hawkes, taking home £500 worth of garden gift vouchers. Their annual display is the talk of Almondsbury in Bristol and this year was no different. This year, they added a touching tribute on their roof to the NHS to celebrate their hard work.
Natalie Price, Rotherham was awarded third place. This colourful display is winner of £100 worth of garden gift vouchers, which is well deserved.
SMALL OUTDOOR DISPLAY
These displays really show that good things come in small packages. There were plenty of stunning entries for this category, from musically synchronised spectacles to complete home transformations.
In first place and winner of £1000 worth of garden gift vouchers is Jonathan Burge, Weston-Super-Mare. He transformed his home into an old toy shop and its brilliance and originality blew the judges away.
Second place was awarded to Kavitha Kirby in Leeds. Her and her partner are both doctors and created a beautiful mythical inspired display to raise money for NHS charities. They take home £500 worth of garden gift vouchers.
In third place is Mike Baldwin, Portsmouth. Mike and his synchronised light display won the judges over and Mike earns himself £100 garden gift vouchers.
BEST COMMUNITY DISPLAY
This category sees communities pulling together and lighting up their streets, villages, and towns. This is a heart-warming category, especially during these unprecedented times. The judges agreed it was the toughest category to decide on, so there is joint 3rd place!
The community WINNER is Hailey Christmas Walking Trail. The village of Hailey united and decided to create a cohesive community display. With current restrictions they knew it would have to be an outdoor show, so 46 houses are part of this walking trail, with each displaying a unique festive word. They win £500 garden gift vouchers.
In second place is Olde Hanwell Advent Window Project, London. They get £200 garden gift vouchers for their amazing window advent calendar. With over 200 houses involved, each night a new house lights up their window, adding another window to the display, up until the 24th December.
In joint third place is Bromberrow Way Christmas Lights and Helpston Village Advent. The judges couldn’t decide between the two, so decided to reward them both with £100 garden gift vouchers.
In joint third place is Bromberrow Way Christmas Lights and Helpston Village Advent. The judges couldn’t decide between the two, so decided to reward them both with £100 garden gift vouchers.
BEST FRTON DOOR DISPALY - JUDGES CHOICE
This category sees wreaths, decorated porches and garlands galore, where entrants have decked their doors with incredible displays. So, let’s see ‘who’s there?’
In first place, with her fully handmade, upcycled display and winner of £100 worth of garden gift vouchers is Mandy Calderon from Thatcham. Her candy land archway was a unique entry, that shows real originality and resourcefulness as it was made from upcycled carboard boxes!
In second place is Julie Murray in Woodbridge and her simply stunning doorway. The judges loved this entry because it showed warmth and really reminded you of Christmas time. Well done Julie who wins £50 worth of garden centre gift vouchers.
In third place is Emma Ross of Inverness with a frosty white display.
BEST CHILDREN'S DISPLAY
This category shows the creativity of children at Christmas time. Whether it’s in school or their own home, this category once again sees some amazing imagination from the younger generation.
In joint first place is Chewton Common Playgroup, Walkford. The children at Chewton made their own snowmen and decided to bring their entire festive display outside. Due to restrictions, parents aren’t allowed indoors so they wanted to make sure their parents could see their artwork. The prime position of the display means it can be enjoyed by the public as well. They receive £100 worth of garden centre gift vouchers.
In joint first place is William Law CE Primary School in Peterborough. William Law pupils were learning about medicine and the NHS so decided to combine their curriculum with Christmas and made snowmen out of tablet cups. This original and fitting display caught the judges’ eyes and made them winners. They receive £100 worth of garden centre gift vouchers.
In second place is Chaucer Junior School whose year 6 bubble made some amazing displays out of recycled materials. For their display which included reindeers out of coffee lids, they win £75 worth of garden gift vouchers.
In third place is Alice Coad. Inspired by her dads outdoor lighting display, Alice wanted to do her own so decorated her chest of drawers with a tree, tinsel and lots of amazing light up goodies.
As you can see, the entries this year have been tremendous, and the tributes to the NHS shone through in the entries with many families wanting to thank the NHS and keyworkers for their commitment and dedication. All the submissions showed incredible efforts to bring some Christmas cheer to Britain and it has been another triumph of a year for Illumination Street. We can’t wait to see what the entries of 2021 look like, but in the meantime have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.