Dad’s brand new Christmas display brings festive cheer all the way from America

Jack Richardson, 21, has been lifting people’s spirits with the display outside his Easington Colliery home for a number of years.

This time around, crowds will be delighted by inflatables, including the Grinch, Olaf, Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse and a 25-feet-tall Santa. The brand new display in Oak Road took a day to put together and has already been switched on.

Jack has said some of the inflatables travelled all the way to England from America.

"It’s just to give it a new look, so everyone that comes and sees it has not seen the same display every time. It’s nice to add a few new bits, but sometimes it’s nice just to totally red-do the whole thing,” said Jack.

Jack, who works in entertainment at Tweddle Farm in Blackhall, added: "When the kids come along and see all these big inflatable characters, they love it.

"There’s ten inflatables that have been imported over from America, so they took a couple of weeks to come.”

Jack’s display has been constantly evolving, with a large a number of people stopping outside his home to admire the lights.

Only last year, he replaced many of the older lights with LED ones, including unicorns.

Back in 2020, the Christmas fan wowed people with a line-up including Baby Jesus, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, a herd of reindeer and several snowmen.

This year’s display is extra special as it also marks the first Christmas of Jack’s son, Jaxson-Jay Richardson.

Jack has said the youngster is already a fan of the festivities.

"He loves all the lights, even in the house, he looks up. He loves anything that sparkles,” he said.

Jack’s display is the latest to dazzle local residents.

Recently, Hartlepool pub The White Hart Inn went viral after decking its halls with thousands of lights, baubles and life-size decorations.

This is the first time the pub has seen a Christmas display since Sean Drinkel opened the inn in 2020. Hundreds of admirers have already flocked to its doors to see the decorations in person.