Charted Horticulturist, broadcaster and founder of the Illumination Street campaign, David Domoney, urges Brits to “Light up our streets NOW for the NHS this Christmas”. Our incredible NHS workers have been working long shifts in their battle to keep us safe from Coronavirus and will be continuing to do so over winter. So, I’m encouraging Britons to put the cheer back into Christmas and brighten up our streets. This year let’s do it for the NHS, our emergency services, the delivery drivers, food retailers and all keyworkers to bring some light to their lives and our streets.

COVID-19 has disrupted our lives in ways we never thought possible. From national lockdowns to furlough schemes, the impact of coronavirus on the nation’s wellbeing cannot be understated. Many of us have adapted to working from home, which does have its positives, but even with technology helping us to stay connected, the loss of human contact can be devastating.

However, there is still hope, as the festive season is known to bring joy to the world and although this year has been difficult to predict what happens next, there’s one thing that’s for sure, and that is Christmas is coming.

As British Summer Time has ended, and our daylight hours are getting shorter, leaving us with dark and cosy evenings, we are getting closer to the festive season and the joy it brings. Domoney added “Traditionally, many of us put up our Christmas lights at the end of November or start of December, but this year, we’ve seen stories of people putting up their decorations early, in fact as early as October, to get a head start on the festive feeling”.

And what better way to light up our path to the festive season than by brightening up our streets and uplifting our neighbourhoods with lighting displays that spread joy? Let’s show our support and gratitude for the NHS and other keyworkers than to light up their journey home. This Christmas let’s transform our communities into merry beacons of light to spread hope and joy. Spruce up your doorway, windows and front gardens with displays that will add some festive cheer to your street and make our keyworkers smile.

David added “I’ve always felt that Christmas is a beacon of hope that lights up the nation during the cold, dark winter months. And for NHS staff and keyworkers, how nice would it be to see their journey home brightly lit after a long shift? It’s this feeling that inspired me to create Illumination Street.”
Illumination Street gives people the opportunity to showcase their incredible efforts and encourage people outdoors. The aim of the campaign is to inspire the British public to celebrate the Christmas spirit by creating spectacular displays.

David says, “Last year we saw stunning displays which were a real testament to community spirit, and we have high hopes for this year because we have seen the power that communities have when they come together. We’ve previously seen community gardens transformed from growing havens to Santa’s grotto and front gardens turned into winter wonderlands.”

He adds, “We have seen the country turn to their gardens for respite and solace this summer during lockdown, so why not continue that into the winter?”
And thanks to the generosity of the British Garden Centres group, I am able to award prizes to those stunning displays that lift our communities.
Use your gardens to create a festive display of colour and light and be in with the chance of winning a share of £5,000 worth of British Garden Centres group gift vouchers. Illumination Street entries open on 1st November and close at midnight on 13th December.

-ENDS-
For more information please contact:
Adele Holdsworth
Mobile: 07930 371873
adele@domoney.tv

Notes to Editors:
About David Domoney
David Domoney is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture and is a proud patron of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

A seasoned broadcaster, he presents for ITV1 ‘Love your Garden’ (the UK’s most watched gardening programme), he also is the resident gardening presenter for ITV’s flagship daytime show ‘This Morning’ and a presenter on ITV1’s Love Your Weekend.

As patron of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, David has promoted hedgehog safety and wellbeing through television and press media. David presented Channel 5’s 2019 programme Saving Britain’s Hedgehogs. David writes a gardening and wildlife column for The Sunday Mirror and for Grow Your Own magazine, and he periodically writes for the Telegraph, the Express and House Beautiful Magazine. He has a well-developed social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest with a combined audience of over a 350k followers.

His dynamic and enthusiastic character makes him extremely popular for live stage presentations or launch openings, and his chartered horticulture credentials and TV profile is a perfect combination for endorsements and campaigns.

David has designed and built spectacular show gardens and events to promote some of the nation’s favourite brands. His clients have been John Lewis, Harley Davidson, the Ritz Piccadilly, Lexus, Croft Sherry, Laura Ashley, Manchester Children’s Hospital, and Levive Diamonds, to name but a few.

He has also presented on ITV1’s Better Homes, ITV1’s Solution Street, Channel 4’s Grand Designs, GMTV and Daybreak, and ITV1’s Garden Doctor. David had his own show ‘Garden-ER’ on Channel 5. He was the only garden designer appearing on ITV1’s popular 60 Minute Makeover show, breaking all records and installing whole gardens in under an hour (underpinned with a lot of strategic planning and design).

A passionate advocate of wildlife David works to champion the efforts of the RSPB and the Woodland trust.

He is a winner of 29 RHS Medals with two Best in Show category trophies. Outside the gardening world, David is a father of three children two daughters and one son. He is a PADI qualified ‘Master Scuba Diver’, a beekeeper, and he has a farmhouse and working olive grove in Italy.

David’s social media accounts:
Twitter - @daviddomoney
Instagram - @daviddomoney
Facebook – David Domoney
Pinterest – David Domoney
YouTube – David Domoney
Website – www.daviddomoney.com