Charity boxes ‘stolen’ from Radlett’s Mr Christmas

A festive fellow from Radlett is spreading some Christmas cheer by adorning his house in hundreds of lights. David Press, 70, is in his 10th year of decorating his house in Battlers Green Drive for Leukaemia Research. However, this year has not run smoothly. He flipped this year’s switch on December 1 but has only had a handful of donations and claims his charity boxes have been stolen from local shops. Mr Press, former commander of Radlett Fire Station, told My Radlett & Shenley News: “We raised £200 on the switch on day, lots of children turned out and we had fireworks. But since then I’ve received a £10 note and £3.20 in change. “I’ve also had some charity boxes stolen from shops in the village. I started off with nine but am now down to three. I went out to collect them and they had mysteriously disappeared. “I appreciate that times are hard but I hope we can raise a bit more this year.” The local do-gooder started decorating his home with lights a decade ago because his wife works for Leukaemia Research and inspired him to get involved. Mr Press says he has raised £17,000 for the charity to date. “I raised £1,000 in the first year so decided to do it again. I probably spend about £200 each year on new lights and my electricity bills are huge, but it’s worth it,” he added. To support Mr Press, visit his home in Battlers Green Drive to see the lights and make a donation – the lights are turned on from 4.30pm to 10.30pm each day. Photo by Len Kerswill