In 2020 a small group of local friends decided to put on a small parade from Norbreck castle to Bispham village to bring some Christmas cheer for the local families and also to try and raise some money for a local Charity – Trinity Hospice and Brian House.
Through Covid times many charities had struggled to raise funds due to lock downs etc. so we thought Our Santa Comes to Bispham would be a great opportunity to help raise some much needed funds and our tours also gave children and familles a chance to get to see Santa Claus at a time when without the tours children would have missed out.
Unknown to us this would scale in to something much bigger, over the next few years we have joined up with other groups from over Wyre and the Fylde Coast to create a parade that has now become one of the biggest of its kind in the area.
So far in our 3 years, we have raised in excess of £16,000 for the charity and received great feedback from the local community.
Year on year we try to bring new ideas and ways in which we could raise more money to help and support Trinity Hospice and Brian House so this year we are coming to more areas around the Fylde with 9 parades planned from December 5th through to its finale in Bispham on December 20th.
With the help from two friends, we have hand built our very own American style Christmas Lorry. Harry started off as a Quadzilla buggy and a pile of steel. Eight weeks later we have created Harry The (American Style) Christmas Lorry to celebrate the festive season. Harry shines bright with over 3000 LED lights on board. He also has a four speaker music system in his trailer - so you're likely to hear him too! We are extremely grateful to all the local companies who have donated their products and knowledge to help create Harry in such a short space of time. With a lot of hard work from a local firm VCL Light Bars Harry our American style Christmas Lorry was created. Harry started off as a Kubota ATV and a pile of steel. Eight weeks later Harry The (American Style) Christmas Lorry was ready to celebrate the festive season.
We were originally going to make a miniature replica of a well known Christmas lorry that appears on TV around Christmas time but we’re concerned with the difficulties in getting permission from them in the short space of time available. So we then decided to go with the now very we’ll know and popular “Elves Behavin’ Badly” characters.
The reason we chose “Elves Behavin’ Badly” was my then two and a half year old grandson, Finley’s obsession with the little Christmas characters. He, like so many of today’s kids loves "Elves Behavin’ Badly", and all the antics that they get up to. Finley is now at a age when Christmas means Santa Clause, Elves and presents!!! He loves his and Grandad’s Lorry!
We would like to thank PMS International Plc. for giving us permission to use their “Elves Behav’ Badly” characters within the artwork.
Please dig deep over the festive period and help up to raise as much as possible, to allow Trinity to deliver their fantastic care to families and their loved ones, especially during this special time.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and hopefully for the support you will give to this brilliant cause. Please remember, every penny donated goes directly to the charity! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year.
Doug Smith
Provide specialist palliative care to adults and children across the Fylde Coast and much needed support for their families. Their services are available free of charge, but with limited government funding and they need to raise over £10 million every year.
Every penny counts!
In Spring 2024 Blackpool will be brought to life by a herd of uniquely decorated, amazingly creative, elephant sculptures. The free, family-friendly art trail – a collaboration between Brian House Children’s Hospice, Wild in Art and Andersen Press, brings David McKee’s popular children’s character Elmer the Patchwork Elephant to life.
The uniquely decorated Elmers will be positioned around key landmarks, streets, and open spaces in Blackpool for eight weeks. But that’s not the end… after this the herd will come together – the only time they’ll all be in the same place at the same time, for their fantastic final farewell event!
The herd of Elmers will deliver a ton of fun and laughter and attract local residents and visitors from far and wide to discover, and re-discover Blackpool, making art accessible to all. Each Elmer is sponsored by a local business or organisations, making the trail deeply rooted in our wonderfully unique local community
Visitors and residents can explore the town centre, parks and open spaces while following the Trail to discover all of the bold and eye-catching large Elmers.
The Trail also includes a herd of mini Elmers decorated by some of the Fylde coast’s most created children and young people, each designed and painted by local schools and youth organisations from across Blackpool.
