A WIRRAL town dubbed as having one of the worst Christmas trees in Britain last year has turned its fortunes around to have a festive display to be proud of.
Hundreds of people packed into Liscard on Saturday to see the new Christmas lights switched on and the unveiling of a 30ft tree.
There were also fireworks and a visit from Father Christmas himself, as well as characters from Frozen.
Hundreds packed into Liscard on Saturday night. Picture by Geoff Davies.
Organised by ‘Light Up Liscard’ - a community project formed to give Liscard the best Christmas ever - the event and decorations was made possible thanks to Danny McLeod from Argyle Taxis and John White from the Cherrytree Shopping Centre.
The Christmas lights and event have been funded by donations from local businesses and Wirral Council’s Wallasey Constituency Committee, which gave £7,000.
It comes after an unusual fundraising ideasaw the town decorated in all things Christmas in April.
More than 1,000 people crowded around the 30ft Christmas tree with giant red baubles as they were entertained by carol singers in Liscard Way.
Last year, 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.
Elsa from 'Frozen' with 3 year old Nyali McLeod. Picture by Geoff Davies.
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”.
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 and began making plans to make Liscard sparkle in 2015, with April's “mock” Christmas aimed at attracting donations from local businesses.
It had the desired effect and this year Liscard has a Christmas display to be proud of.
This year's Christmas tree in Liscard. Picture by Geoff Davies.
Danny said: “This project is designed to show how a community and its businesses can all pull together for the greater good.
"Our thanks go out to all those who have helped make this event happen by their kind donations. It will be a great event and there will be fun for the whole family. Our thanks go to the Wallasey Constituency Committee and in particular Caroline Laing, the constituency manager.”
Cllr Rob Gregson, chair of Wallasey Constituency Committee, said: “It is fantastic to see the community coming together and organising this fantastic festive event, and all the wonderful decorations that are really lighting up Liscard.
"I am very happy that the council was able to support this community project and I have to thank the organisers, Danny and John, for all their hard work."
Finalists for Wirral Radio’s ‘Song For Christmas’ performed traditional and original festive songs at Saturday's event.
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