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Safety rules could hit Christmas lights displays
New safety regulations could jeopardise the Christmas lights displays that are a familiar sight on homes across Mid Sussex.
One couple who raise hundreds of pounds for charity with their lights each year say their days of putting on the display could be numbered.
Joy and Bill Hopkins have adorned their Newlands home in Balcombe every December and invited passers-by to converse with the talking Santa and make a donation.
For the past two years they have raised hundreds of pounds for St Catherine's Hospice in Crawley and have made St Peter and St James Hospice in Wivelsfield their target this year in memory of their friend David Foster.
David, who lived in Uckfield, was chairman of Balcombe Bowls Club and a regular player around Sussex who died at St Peter and St James' last December.
His widow Maureen has contributed to this year's lights display on Joy and Bill's home with a new Dove of Peace illumination.
But to help with the cost of new safety devices, similar to trip switches, that have been fitted to sockets in their house, Joy and Bill have foregone Christmas presents, asking family and friends to give them money towards the extra outlay instead.
Former fireman Bill, who installs the lights with the help of friend Mick Owen, said donations from those who stopped to see the lights last Christmas raised more than 1,300. He said: "It cost us an extra 60 or 70 in electricity last year to put the lights on until January 6.
This year we've got three extra circuits in the roof so there is no way we could have done it without the support of Whittingham and Pierpoint Developments."
For more on this story see the Mid Sussex Times.
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -7 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
