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A (twenty) grand Xmas light house

Heather Butler
22/12/2003

A SALFORD couple are brightening up Christmas in the hope of picking up £20,000 cash.

Margaret and Alan Jones from Higher Broughton are the city's front runner for the UK's Best Decorated House Competition, run by Studio, a Christmas catalogue company.

The firm will hand out a prize of £20,000 for the best outdoor decorations in the UK, and it seems there has been a surge in "switching on" in the Salford area.

"I have never entered before, but I do the house every Christmas and Halloween and my son in law said I should go in for the competition," said Margaret, 61. "Winning the money would be fantastic but I would do it anyway, I love it. In fact if I don't put them up by the first weekend in December the neighbours get mad, they won't do theirs until mine are up."

Husband Alan usually climbs the ladder outside the terrace to put up the three foot Santa Clause and all the lights, but following two serious heart operations this year Margaret enlisted the help of her son-in-law.

If the pair do beat off the national competition, Margaret said the first thing she will do is book a holiday to Tenerife for the two of them.

"It would be wonderful to have a holiday. I suppose the rest might go towards paying the electric bill."