A FAMILY hopes their larger-than-life display of Christmas lights will help raise funds for a charity set up by their 15-year-old daughter who is battling cancer.

More than 30,000 twinkly lights are currently adorning the Beames' home on Chapel Way in Wantage as part of a festive extravaganza for a worthy cause.

Teenager Mikayla Beames, who has been fighting cancer for the last 11 years, set up Team Mikayla to help other children facing similar health battles.

It took six adults and several weeks to create the impressive display at the Beames' house with more than 60 people turning out on November 23 for a grand switch-on event.

Her mother Natasha Beames, who co-founded the charity with her daughter, said: “Mikayla has been fighting cancer for 11 years this Christmas and it was seven years ago that she decided that she wanted to help some of the other children at the hospital.

"We gave her a few ideas and she decided she wanted to grant wishes to other children fighting cancer. Today, she has managed to grant wishes to over 200 children."

Their Christmas display which includes Santa's grotto has attracted compliments from the community with £200 already generated in donations.

As well as the illuminations, visitors have been enjoying the seven-person sleigh where they can pretend to be Father Christmas on his travels around the world delivering presents.

Natasha said this year they wanted to go 'a bit bigger' than 2020, saying: “Last year we managed to raise just more than £1,000, we didn’t do a grand switch on last year, we just popped the lights on.

“[This year] there were more than 60 adults here for the switch on, but I lost count of the number of children because they kept moving around."

The family's charity supports children living with cancer or leukaemia and who are receiving treatment at the John Radcliffe Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Mikayla's efforts haven't gone unnoticed, with the youngster winning the Queen's Award for voluntary service for her hard work fundraising.

Commenting on her daughter's award, Natasha said: “It felt very overwhelming. It was obviously rightfully deserved; she puts a lot of work into the charity and when we were told she had won the Queens Award for Voluntary Service we were all over the moon.”

Families can visit Santa in his grotto at the Beames' house every Friday and Saturday night between 4pm to 8pm.