Swindon family put on incredible Easter display to raise money for charity
A Swindon family are putting on a fantastic Easter display to raise money for a charity close to their hearts.
Claire Cox, of 130 Kingshill Road, has been decorating the front of her home with giant inflatables for the last seven years, celebrating Easter, Halloween and Christmas and raising funds for Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS).
The charity supports anyone affected by the death of a baby, and Claire began raising money for the organisation after her niece Annabelle was stillborn nine years ago.
This year, the front garden consists of a green and yellow arch wishing passers-by a happy Easter, chickens, carrots and several colourful Easter bunnies, some holding Easter eggs.
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(Image: Dave Cox) The Creepy Allotment Halloween display returned last year following a house fire, with Claire and her family all taking part to scare visitors in a maze in her garden, dressing up for Halloween, and placing more inflatables and animatronics around the maze.
Claire's displays were cancelled the year before after an iPhone charger suddenly exploded and Claire and her family had to temporarily move out.
'The house was ablaze within three minutes', Claire told the Advertiser in October. 'I had to literally crawl out of the house.
'It was absolutely terrible. I was staying at my brother's house in a caravan at the bottom of his garden for 13 months while the house was being repaired.
'When the fire happened the amount of people who came together and brought clothes round and everything was amazing.
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"We left the house with nothing. Our clothes were smoke damaged, so we didn't have anything at all."
Claire joked that the displays are now an "obsession" as she spends so much time putting them together and collecting the inflatables, often as presents from her loved ones.
Claire added: "I stand on the gate and get any donation – any money they want to put in the pot is amazing.
'Sometimes someone will put in £10, sometimes it's 10p, but whatever I get in that pot I'm happy with.
"For Christmas and birthdays, I'll have family buy me an inflatable pumpkin or skeleton. It's become a running joke.
'If I can get the name out there for SANDS it would be a great thing. Before we lost Annabelle I hadn't even heard of SANDS, but they were amazing at the hospital.'
The Easter display can be found at 130 Kingshill Road over the bank holiday weekend.
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