With 2020 not the year many of us expected, residents in south east London have gone above and beyond with their Christmas decorations this year, but this house in Welling may well be the best of the lot.

Danson Cresent in Welling has been lit up by the countless bright lights of the self-titled 'Christmas House', and people from across the borough have been visiting the marvellous sight over the festive period.

But the festive light show has had a bigger impact than Christmas spirit. Archbishop Jonathan Blake set up the display to raise thousands of pounds to supply a remote African village with water.

The project is now actually in its 17th year of decorations, and remarkably the decorations have raised over £55,000 in total as people flocked to the road.

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The entire house has been clad in lights, snowmen, Christmas creatures and inflatables and more, lit up between 4pm and 10pm daily for passerbys to admire.

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The first donation went to Save the Children, but for the last three years the money has been dedicated to African villages.

2018 and 2019 saw fresh running water installed in two Gambian villages, and now the archbishop wants to make it three.

He has set a target of £12,000, which will allow a "desperately needed" water network to be installed, supplying 500 villagers, crops and livestock.

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Mr Blake said all the work to do this was voluntary, with no money being siphoned off, and the sole goal to "bless the lives of hundreds of more children with the health and life that clean water brings."

The money will provide a deep bore hole and solar powered water pump for the village, with the solar panels will pump the water continually into tanks raised high above the ground, that will then feed water to strategically placed stand pipes around the village.

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The villagers will dig the trenches for the piping taking the water to the stand pipes.

The donations will pay for the digging of the bore hole, by Water For Africa Gambian staff, using their drilling rig, the building of the tower to house the water tanks, the water tanks themselves, the water pump, its control unit, the stand pipes and all the piping needed.

 The Water For Africa Gambian staff come from, and their families live, in similar villages in which, Water For Africa have previously installed water pumps. 

They also intend to remain involved with the villages we assist, to maintain the water pumps and help provide other needed amenities. 

This year's effort has already raised £10,000, and to help it make its target you can donate here.