One of the reasons I consider myself fortunate to live in Milton Keynes, is that I’ve met so many people who go out of their way to do kind things for other people and for charities. One of the best examples of this is those who decorate their houses in incredible Christmas lights, all to raise money for a good cause. There are a number worth visiting, and over the next month I will compile a list of our favourites, but in the meantime one street that you’ll definitely want to visit is Summerhayes in Great Linford, Milton Keynes. You can see our video of last year to get an idea of what it’s like and then scroll down for more information about this year’s event. The pictures featured in this article are from 2016. We can’t wait to see what the 2017 displays look like.
What are the Summerhayes Christmas lights?
Summerhayes is a residential street in Great Linford in Milton Keynes. Every year since 2003, some of the residents have decorated their houses in order to raise money for charity. When I say decorate, I don’t mean just a few rows of lights, I’m talking about a huge inflatable Santa, holograms and big neon displays. Last year 13 families decorated their houses.
Why do the residents of Summerhayes do it?
It started some years ago when some of the residents started putting up a few lights in their windows and then each Christmas it became competitive amongst the neighbours. In 2003 they decided to come together to raise money for charity. In 2016 they raised a whopping £11,250 for Willen Hospice bringing their total to £57,000.
How do we see the Summerhayes Christmas lights and how much does it cost?
The official lights switch on will be Sat 2nd December at 6.30pm. The residents do it for charity so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE if you visit, take a few pounds or whatever you can afford to put in the charity boxes outside the houses. Wouldn’t it be amazing if readers of this blog could help them to raise even more money than last year? The postcode is MK14 5EX. That postcode gets you to the street but DON’T TURN IN to that cul-de-sac and attempt to park. Park on a nearby road and walk. You really won’t see as much attempting to drive around nor will there be space to park, plus people tend to walk on the road. The switch on night will be really, really busy so allow plenty of time to park nearby and walk. The postcode is simply a rough guide to get you to the area. On all other nights you will be able to park a bit closer. If last year was anything to go by, then on all other days they went on around 4.30pm (or when it was dark) and stayed on until about 10.30pm every night up to and including New Years Eve. I will update this when I have confirmation.
I'm Laura, mum of two boys - aged six and four. I started this website at the end of Sept 2015 whilst on maternity leave. I now work four days a week and do this blog late at night once the little boys are sleeping. It's won several awards over the last four years and I continue to run it for free and mostly focus on free, cheap, and good value days out. Do drop me an email laura@miltonkeyneskids.com if you want to contact me. Don't forget to follow all of our latest adventures on facebook, instagram and twitter and have a look at all of the videos of the places we visit on the Milton Keynes Kids YouTube Channel - subscribe to it for notifications every time I add a new place. And remember... you may been reading this post months after we visited, do check with the destination you're visiting for up to date opening times and prices. If you find this blog useful then please do comment on my posts and leave me a Facebook review - it makes doing this all the more worthwhile.
