It’s nearly Christmas, and all the high streets are lit up with mesmerising Christmas lights. For example the Farnborough Christmas lights on Sunday 23rd November at Princes Mead Shopping Centre. The lights were a great success with entertainment such as free face painting, live music and a balloon artist. Characters from the Princes Hall pantomime, Snow White, even attended at 3p.m. Not only that but Santa arrived which was excitement for all the children (and some adults!) and the colourful, stunning Christmas lights were switched on at 4.30 p.m.
Dr Meenal Gupta, one of the attendees, talks about her view of the event, “Although it was chucking it down, the fantastic band made it worthwhile and what I liked about the lights were that they were colourful rather than plain white.”
However there is a downside to Christmas lights. Around 350 people a year are hurt by Christmas tree lights, according to RoSPA. Injuries include people falling while they're putting them up, children swallowing the bulbs, and people getting electric shocks and burns from faulty lights.
Miss Kiren Kaushik, first aider, gives advice on staying safe while putting up fairy lights. “Test your lights and the wiring before you put them up, as they can deteriorate over the years. If you have old lights, buy new ones that meet higher safety standards. Don’t overload sockets, as that’s a fire risk.”
By Maitrika Gupta
