Couple's Christmas display is on the move in Bo'ness

The Christmas display which David and Maggie Ness put on in their driveway in Grahamsdyke Road, Bo’ness, has become such a popular festive attraction that the event is being switched to Newtown Park.

Santa, his elves and his reindeer will be joined by a local singing group and a brass band at the venue on December 22.

“When we started this in 2017 it was really just a bit of a laugh,” said David. “We had a hologram in our window and people were stopping by the gate to look.

“It was probably year two or maybe even year three when we started raising money. The event has got bigger and bigger, and on a good night there was basically a queue of people waiting to get in, and a stream of cars, so it got too big for our little driveway.”

The idea to move the event to Newtown Park arose when David was chatting to two of the Ness’s neighbours, Robert Snedden and George Sansom. They are both trustees of the Newtown Park Association, the charity which runs Newtown Park and which is committed to increasing usage of the stadium, with ambitious plans to establish a community hub alongside the playing facilities.

While Bo’ness Fair has received the proceeds of the previous events, financed entirely out of the Ness’s own pockets, the NPA is now going to be the beneficiary.

David said: “Given that one of my grandchildren plays football there, it seems a more logical beneficiary, especially when moving the event there.

“Because it’s a bigger area it gives us a bit more flexibility. The downside is that the hologram doesn’t fit so neatly but we’ll use a projector and a screen show.”

On December 22, from 5pm to 9pm, Santa, the Bo’ness Belles singers and Carriden Brass Band will welcome visitors.

Robert Snedden, chairman of the NPA, said: “We’d like to thank Maggie and David for organising the event and donating the proceeds; the resident football clubs for rescheduling their activities and Bloomin Bo’ness for providing food and soft drinks.”

Entry is £3 per person or £10 per family. Take your receipt to get admission at the turnstile. For tickets, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/npareindeer.