Monday, 07 December 2020

Charted Horticulturist, broadcaster and founder of the Illumination Street campaign, David Domoney, urges Brits to “Light up our streets to lift our spirits this Christmas”. 2020 has been a year of challenge for us all and David believes that we deserve good cheer end the year with in positive spirit.

“2020 has been difficult for so many of us, the impact our mental and physical wellbeing has stretched many of us to breaking point and I feel that putting some lights up is in as gesture of goodwill to family, neighbours & visiting friends. It’s a light for everyday that we have lost time with our loved ones. It’s a symbol of remembrance for those that we have lost and it’s a tribute to the keyworkers (NHS staff, our emergency services, the delivery drivers, food retailers, carers and many others) who have kept things ticking over, whilst we wait for a vaccine”.

To urge Briton’s to take action Domoney has done two things – 1) set up Illumination Street, the campaign that encourages us to celebrate the lighting up of our homes and gardens at Christmas whilst rewarding those whose efforts raise money for worthy causes and 2) #IlluminationStreetWeek a social media driven activity that encourages people to share their lighting efforts whether large or small on the social media channel of their choice.

#IlluminationStreetWeek runs from 07/12/20 to 13/12/20 and households across Britain are getting involved by sharing their efforts and there are bound to be more jewels to be found.

The Illumination Street campaign is in full swing with hundreds of entries received into competition element of the campaign. Supported by British Garden Centres group the competition will give up to £5000 worth of gift vouchers to the top-rated category entries.

• Best Large Outdoor Display
• Best Small Outdoor Display
• Best Community Display
• Best Front Door Wreath Display
• Best Children’s Display

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:

{Pictures and Video available on request - Yes}

About David Domoney

David Domoney is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture. 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. David writes a gardening 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 quarter of a million 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).

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.