MORE than 3,000 people watched as a darkened corner of St John’s hospice was illuminated during the annual Light Up A Life For A Loved One switch-on.

During an emotional Sunday night ceremony, which raised more than £100,000 for the Clatterbridge-based hospice in its 25th anniversary, Wirral schools brass band played and Davina Jones from Birkenhead Operatic Society Trust led the singing of carols.

Following a countdown, the audience cheered and then fell silent as the lights, hanging from trees and the hospice’s new care centre, were switched on by Oxton teenagers Morgan and Ruby Evans. Their father Colin lost his battle with lung cancer after a four-day stay at the hospice in August last year. The lights will stay on until Twelfth Night, January 6.

Before the ceremony, Morgan told the Globe, which supported the event since its inception in 1996: “I felt quite proud more than nervous about turning the lights on. But I’ve got a lot of memories of being here and they are more good than bad.”

Ruby added: “I was excited when the hospice left a message on our answerphone asking if we could switch the lights on.”

Lesley Woodhead, the hospice’s fundraising manager, said: “After being promised crisp weather, that’s certainly what we got. That’s just fantastic, because it meant that so many more people came along and were part of the service.

“I’m very proud of Morgan and Ruby, because they did a fantastic job. It’s not an easy thing for anyone to stand on this stage and speak, switch lights or even read a poem, when you’re feeling sensitive and emotional.

“But everybody in that crowd knew how they felt and was willing them to do that great job.”

Lesley said: “Once again we’ve had a fantastic response from the Globe and its readers. The coupons were still coming in last week, so we carry on because there are still many lights to be lit. What’s very special about our Light Up A Life is that the names of the loved ones stay in the books in the chapel until this time next year.