Morecambe to host its own Winter Wonderland in memory of Overton schoolboy Reece Holt

Reece, who passed away in January 2019 at the age of 13 following a battle against brain cancer, loved Christmas, and so his family and Team Reece - the charity he launched before his death - have now planned a big celebration of the Christmas season.

The Team Reece Winter Wonderland Christmas Parade will take place on Saturday December 18, and is set to include festivities such as Christmas market stalls, food and drink stalls and a Winter Wonderland display, as well as the parade itself.

Reece's mum Rachel O'Neil said they wanted to hold something fun and magical after a long and difficult 18 months for everyone.

"It’s been such an awful few years for everyone and we wanted to do something community focused," she said.

"Christmas was always Reece’s favourite time of year and I find it a difficult time without him, so rather than sit with my sadness we decided to do something positive in his memory and to reflect his love of Christmas and love of doing things for others just to see them smile.

"We hope the community will get behind what we are doing and enter the parade; it’s completely free to enter, we just want to see families enjoying themselves and bring something truly magical to Morecambe."

There are no restrictions on who can enter the parade - businesses, community groups, schools or families are welcome. All you need is some Christmas decorations and lights on your car, tractor, motorbike, bicycle - or even you if you don’t drive! There will be prizes for the best three entries.

The day will kick off at 10.30am with all the festivities taking place on the prom near the Midland Hotel and in the nearby arena, and will continue until 9.30pm, with the parade being held along the prom at 5pm.

For more information about the event and how you can get involved, go online here.