VISITORS to Liscard came face-to-face with an unusual sight today as a 30ft Christmas tree was erected in the town.

There may be 239 days to go until the big day but Liscard shoppers will be in for a festive treat on Wednesday, as reindeer, snow and even Santa himself make an appearance.

The event is part of a campaign launched by Danny McLeod, from Birkenhead-based Argyle Taxis, to raise funds to give the town a spectacular Christmas display this year.

It comes after Liscard made it onto the list of the worst Christmas trees in Britain last year.

The town's festive display was given a spruce-up after residents set up a Facebook page complaining about the "depressing" tree.

The page, called Liscard Christmas Lights, showed the solitary tree - donated by nearby Primark - surrounded by a metal fence, secured in concrete blocks.

Despite £9,500 funding from Wallasey constituency committee adding a little extra “sparkle” to the tree, the display still made it onto BuzzFeed’s list of “The 13 Worst Christmas Trees in Britain”.

Wirral Globe:
Last year's Christmas tree in Liscard. Picture: Liscard Christmas Lights/Facebook

Danny, like many others, was saddened by the negative publicity, with it acting as a catalyst for him to do something positive for the town and the wider borough.

He teamed up with John White, the manager of Cherry Tree Shopping Centre, and began making plans to make Liscard sparkle in 2015, with this week’s “mock” Christmas aimed at attracting donations from local businesses.

With the help of The Christmas Decorators – who specialise in decorating shopping centres and homes of the rich and famous – Danny will transform Liscard into a winter wonderland.

The Christmas tree is currently being erected and decorated in Liscard, with many social media users referring to today as “Christmas Eve” and wishing their friends a Merry Christmas.

Explaining the event to the Globe, Danny said: “We’re going to have reindeer, carol singers, Father Christmas and a 30ft Christmas tree – we’re hoping to have mulled wine too.

“The big switch on is going to be at 7pm but we’re going to be meeting with local businesses earlier on to hopefully get some support from them.

“What the April 29 event is all about is to get local businesses involved and get them interested because without their financial support, we’re not going to get this done.

“We’ve got a round figure of £25,000 that we’re looking for but that’s the top end – we can do it for less but the £25,000 would allow us to have all the roads lit up and everything.

“From most businesses we’re looking for a donation of £150 to £200 but obviously for the bigger businesses we would expect more.”

Wirral Globe:
John White, manager of Cherry Tree Shopping Centre, and Danny McLeod, from Argyle Taxis, look through their plans for Liscard''s early Christmas.

Danny, who last year helped Wirral Council with their drink driving campaign, hopes seeing Christmas in April will shock people into action.

He said: “Everything will be down the next day before people go back to work.

“We’re trying to give people a bit of a shock while the memory of what Christmas was like last year is still in their minds.

“We’re going to say to people that if there’s a community, everyone puts their hand in their pocket and having a fantastic Christmas display will hopefully increase trade in the area if we can get people travelling into Liscard.

“I appreciate there’s not a huge amount of choice compared to Liverpool city centre but not everyone can travel over there and not everyone wants to.

“We want people to take their kids to see a nice Christmas tree and decorations and bring Christmas a little closer to home.”

  • For more information about the campaign, search for ‘Light Up Liscard’ on Facebook.