It’s Christmas! We meet the Birmingham dad bringing early festive cheer to his neighbourhood

Hundreds of glittering Christmas lights are brightening up a Birmingham neighbourhood - thanks to a Birmingham dad bringing some early festive cheer to the local community.

Andy Salter decorates his house each year as soon as Armistice Day is upon us to brighten up the dark nights of winter. The dad, whose youngest child is seven years-old, says it takes four days for him to complete the display, which is admired by people far and wide - so it makes sense to create it as soon as possible so that people can enjoy it for as long as possible.

Andy is also following in the footsteps of his father, Ronald Salter, who used to decorate his home in Harborne from mid November before he sadly passed away four years ago.

Andy, who lives on Birdie Close in Kings Norton, keeps costs down by using the same decorations each year, and adds just a couple of new ones each time. And because all of the lights are LED, Andy says the electricity cost is minimal - just £11 for the seven weeks he has them on display.

Andy, who works in advertising, told BirminghamWorld: “I’ve been doing it for the past seven years. People always come and admire them and tell me how much they enjoy the display. It takes four days to create it in full, so it makes sense to light it up early, so that we get the benefit of all the work.

“I haven’t finished it all yet- I usually start once Armistice Day is here. I just love Christmas - it’s such a great time of year. My dad always did it at his house in Harborne, so I wanted to carry on the tradition. It’s for the community - young and old alike.”

Here’s how the display was looking on Saturday night, after one day of the build. With more being added on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - it’s sure to look especially spectacular. Merry Christmas all!