Christmas lights gran dies in nursing home (From The Bolton News)

Christmas lights gran dies in nursing home

3:00pm Friday 13th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

A GRANDMOTHER who brightened up the town with a dazzling display of Christmas lights has died.

Elizabeth Sayers died on Saturday, October 31, at Cameron house nursing home in Bury, after a long battle against cancer. She was 67.

She was well-known in the town for covering her home in Unsworth Street, Radcliffe, with hundreds of festive lights. The spectacle proved to be a big attraction, with many families taking their children to see them.

Because there were so many lights, she used to leave them in place throughout the year. But she hit the headlines over a long-running battle with her landlord who wanted the lights removed at the end of the festive period.

The decorations covered much of the outside of the house, even the windows and roof, and were switched on from November.

Six Town Housing, which manages Bury Council’s residential properties, however, considered the lights a health and safety hazard. They wanted the lights to be taken down but Mrs Cameron argued there were just too many to move and she could not afford to pay someone to do the work.

Mrs Sayers lost the fight and the lights were removed by workmen in January, 2007.

But she bought expensive safety devices the following winter and was allowed to keep the lights after checks by inspectors.

A funeral for Mrs Sayers was held last Friday at East Lancashire Crematorium in Radcliffe.

The family has asked for donations in her memory to be made to Bury Hospice via Silletts Funeral Service, in Spring Lane.

She leaves two sons, Peter and Paul, and five grandchildren, Heather, Mark, Daniel, Lloyd and Emily.

• Print
• Email
• Share