Father of three Ryan Amies has turned his Stamford home into a festive attraction including a mega five metre Christmas Tree to raise money for children harmed by crime.
The display of over 15,000 LED Christmas lights outside his home on Empingham Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire is already proving a hit with families who are travelling from across the area to see them in the run-up to Christmas.
Ryan, who is married to Jess and has three young sons, is asking for donations to Embrace Child Victims of Crime, which is based in Thorpe Wood, Peterborough and supports families whose children have been victims and witnesses to horrendous crimes including all kinds of abuse, violence and exploitation. The software company owner has already raised £500 for the charity with his Halloween light display in October.
Ryan said: “We are getting a steady stream of people every day coming by to see the lights and we expect it will get busier as we get closer to Christmas. Our five metre tall mega tree with over 6,000 LEDs is proving a real hit.
“The children love starting the music with the big red button out the front and watching the lights and listening to the music. It’s lovely to be able to spread a bit of Christmas cheer and raise money for such a worthwhile cause at the same time.”
Last year Ryan’s display, which has its own Facebook Page called The Stamford Lights, raised over £2,300 for Mind from his Halloween and Christmas lights.
He said: “We chose Embrace this year because we wanted to support a local children’s charity and we heard about the fantastic work Embrace does to support young victims of crime. We know how much children and families love coming to see the lights. So it seemed fitting to support a children’s charity.”
Embrace Child Victims of Crime Chief Executive Anne Campbell said: “Thank you to Ryan and his family for choosing to support Embrace this year with their wonderful light display. Visiting Christmas lights is often a real highlight for families and will hopefully also help to raise awareness locally about the work we do to help children and families whose lives have been devastated by crime.
We could not provide the vital services we do without the support of our fundraisers and supporters like Ryan.”
Embrace Child Victims of Crime supports young victims and witnesses of crime to recover from their trauma and rebuild their lives. The charity supports all victims but has particular expertise in supporting those affected by all kinds of abuse, violence and exploitation. Embrace provides emotional support and counselling and practical support including food and school uniform vouchers to help families harmed by crime and struggling because of the cost of living crisis. To find out more visit www.embracecvoc.org.uk.
