A Brechin man has staked his claim for having this year’s best Christmas light display in Tayside.
Brian Jemmett, 63, has installed the display across his garden with the help of his housemates.
Mr Jemmett, a retired legal recruitment consultant, is hoping visitors enjoy the display and donate to charity.
He said: “I moved to Northern Ireland where we did the lights and when we returned to Brechin five years ago I decided to keep doing it.
“Each year we tend to add to our collection and at the start of the calendar year we’ll go looking for bargains. Nothing really breaks down.”
The display takes Brian and his housemates three to four days to set up.
He said: “We were planning on having it up a bit earlier but due to the bad weather a couple of weeks ago, we decided to hold off and had everything up and running on Saturday evening.
“Everything apart from the inflatable items are set on a timer and will automatically turn off. The inflatables need turned on and off with the use of a remote control.
“We’re able to store most of the decorations and even keep some up throughout the year.”
Visitors to the display are encouraged to donate money to the Jenner Centre and Brechin Healthcare Group using a QR code on display.
Brian said: “One of the reasons why I chose the charity was purely because of the names. I live on Jenner Place and the money goes to the Jenner Centre.
“The main reason is that the money will be going into services for the community. The group offers a number of services to promote community health and I thought they would be a worthy recipient of any money I managed to raise.”
Reaction leaves Brian ‘gobsmacked’
A video of the display has gathered over 2,500 views online.
Brian said: “It’s only been a few days but we’ve managed to raise nearly £200 already which I’m gobsmacked about.
“People have come up to me when I’ve been shopping saying that they love the display and they’ll donate when they can, which I really appreciate in the current climate.
“Our delivery driver even passed over a £20 note when he handed a package over.
“It’s really nice to see so many people coming to the house to have a look at the display and I hope to welcome more as the festive celebrations continue.”
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