Ukrainian Children Light up Chiswick for Christmas

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Young refugees do the honours for the town centre's festive decorations

The Ukrainian children who pressed the button to switch on the lights

December 6, 2022

This year’s, the Christmas lights on Chiswick High Road were switched on by a group of Ukrainian children living locally after being forced to flee their country.

The tree and streetlights came on as expected after the count down from 10 to "Merry Christmas!" at 4.30pm this Saturday (3 December).

Eight children, from four families currently living in Chiswick, switched on the lights wearing reindeer antler headbands donated by a local resident. Their countdown in English ended in a rousing cheer of "Merry Christmas!" as the lights along Chiswick High Road, Devonshire Road and Turnham Green Terrace were switched on at the same time as the tree on the corner of Annandale Road and Chiswick High Road. The children and their families munched on mince pies after the lights were switched on. They were wished a cheery "Chastluvogo Rizdva!" as they left to walk along the three roads to see the lights.

Aleksandrina (aged 6) and her brother Artur (aged 4); Anastasia (aged 12) and her sister Veronika (aged 5); Rosti (aged 8) and his brother Roma (aged 5); and Aleksandra (aged 6) and her sister Katalaya (aged 4) did the honours, piling their hands up then counting down before pressing hard on the switch-on button.

 

Three more trees will be arriving in Chiswick this Wednesday, thanks to additional funding. One large tree will be on Chiswick High Road opposite Turnham Green between Wild Bunch cafe and Daniel Beds - donated by Great Marlborough Estates, developers of Empire House; a second large tree will be at the top of Turnham Green Terrace - donated by Birchgrove, developers of the former police station; a third, slightly smaller tree, will be on Fauconberg Road - funded by Hounslow Council's special fund to support festive community events to support local retailers this year.

Speaking about the switch on and additional trees, Cllr Joanna Biddolph said, "Organising the switch on was delegated to me so late in the year that I wasn't able to fulfil my long-held ambition to bring Christmas cheer to all Chiswick's shopping roads. But it wasn't the limited time, that made me think immediately that I wanted the switch-on to be a special time for some of the Ukrainian children whose lives have been displaced here. The event was deliberately low-key with the focus on the children.

"I'm very grateful for encouragement and support of the Chiswick residents and traders who got the point immediately and wanted to help as well as Hounslow's events manager; the three donors: Birchgrove, Great Marlborough Estates and Hounslow council; and especially Hounslow Highways and its PFI team whose unflappable professionalism made it happen so easily despite all the short notice requests.

"I'm already working on next year's switch on events, hoping to bring them to more shopping roads in Chiswick.

“ Also huge thanks to art gallery Frivoli for lending us a table for the light switch-on button and to Borough Kitchen and Snappy Snaps for, well, they both know what they did to provide the necessary Christmas magic.”

Cllr Biddolph added, “As a reminder to residents, there is so much in Chiswick - in the centre and in our local village neighbourhoods - and I hope many residents will explore new-to-them areas of Chiswick where they can spend whatever they can afford on buying presents for others or themselves; having beauty, hair or health treatments; buying clothes for celebrations held back by the pandemic; spending on hobbies from arts and crafts, knitting and sewing to reading and exercising; indulging in beautiful art, artefacts and other enhancements for the home; shopping for food and drink to enjoy at home; and, of course, given our local culture ... drinking and eating out.

“Speaking as founder of the Chiswick Shops Task Force, below is a list is to remind residents of all the roads in Chiswick where you can shop for arts, hobbies, leisure; beauty and health; clothes, shoes and accessories; eating out; food and drink; home and garden:”

Acton Lane
Barley Mow Passage
Bedford Corner
Bedford Park Corner
Burlington Lane
Chiswick Business Park
Chiswick Common Road
Chiswick High Road
Chiswick Lane
Chiswick Park tube station
Chiswick Terrace
Devonshire Road
Edensor Road
Evershed Walk
Elliott Road
Essex Place
Essex Place Square
Fauconberg Road
Fishers Lane
Fromow’s Corner
Grove Park Road
Gunnersbury Lane
Heathfield Terrace
Kew Bridge Road
The Pavement Popes Lane
Power Road
Riverside Drive
Southfield Road
South Parade
Station Approach Road
Station Parade
Stile Hall Parade
Strand on the Green
Sutton Court Road
Sutton Lane North
Thames Road
Turnham Green Terrace
Wellesley Road

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