"It's like Blackpool Illuminations here": Life on Greater Manchester’s most festive street

It’s late afternoon in Sale, Greater Manchester and the light has already started to retreat.

This time of year can feel a little bleak. We wake up before the sun has risen and drive home from the office in darkness - only the lights of the cars in front of us to guide the way.

But should you take a drive or walk down Chestnut Drive in Sale, you’ll quickly be reminded of the moments of cheer to hold onto in the cold winter months.

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That’s because no fewer than 50 houses along this residential street have been adorned with spectacular Christmas lights and installations.

Multi-coloured bulbs fan out gracefully from window ledges, huge red and green striped candy canes adorn driveways, and icicles cascade from the top floors of houses. This isn’t all though.

There’s huge Christmas trees lit up in residents' front gardens, Father Christmas rising from inflatable chimneys - dinosaurs too - and even the Grinch himself parked up with a roof rack full of presents on someone’s drive.

For the past four years, the lights on Chestnut Drive have been a must-see for both locals and those travelling further afield. Some have compared it to the Blackpool Illuminations, others say it’s like something straight out of a Christmas film.

There’s an element of the film character Martha May about it too. In the Grinch movie, she goes all out to have the best decorations in all of Whoville.

We’re in Greater Manchester though, and not a Hollywood film. And the residents here are primarily focused on putting up thousands of lights, installations and decorations for a good cause.

Last Saturday (November 30), around 400 people turned out to see the 2024