A man has decorated his Mini with 3,000 twinkling lights as he hopes to “bring little moments of joy" to people’s lives this Christmas.
Nicholas Martin, 33, plans to raise over £10,000 for charity by displaying his illuminated “Festive Mini", reports Berkshire Live.
Now in his fifth year of putting on the creative light show, this time he will use thousands of app-controlled, battery-powered lights. to generate customised light patterns, messages, and animations.
Mr Martin will take to the streets of his home town of Bracknell in the run-up to Christmas in aid of The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Trust and Duchenne UK.
His mother lives with MS, which he said has made hearing other people’s stories “really hit home”.
Each individual light is available to sponsor for £2.
Revealing the meaning behind his automotive illuminations, he said: “The Festive Mini actually has a purpose and its purpose is to bring joy to as many people as possible. People just get blown away when they see it.
“They have an expectation of what it might look like but when they actually see it, their jaw just drops. It brings little moments of joy to people’s lives."
The software engineer began his Mini adventures in 2018 when he covered his red car in "around 600" supermarket-bought LEDs.
After catching the attention of a local Facebook group, Nicholas returned with "bigger and better" decorations the following year.
And it was in 2019 that the festive activity took on a new meaning, as he was invited to the house of 11-year-old Marcus Rooks, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) - a genetic condition that causes degeneration of muscles.
Recalling the moment he greeted him with the Mini, Nicholas said: "Somebody invited me and said, ‘Why don’t you surprise Marcus with a visit from The Festive Mini?’ So I did just that. When I saw his face light up, it hit me with so many emotions."
He then continued to spread festive cheer throughout Christmas Covid lockdowns for the next two years, raising £6000 and £8000 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Mini UK even provided him with an electric Mini in 2021, keeping the project “economically friendly”.
Reflecting on its positive effects on Nicholas too, his wife Rachel Martin said it has been “amazing to see how happy it makes him”.
She added: "It does look great. I have to live with him when he’s putting all the lights on, which can be a long task.
“But it’s worth it. Seeing how everyone reacts to it and how much work is put into it, it’s really lovely."
More information on the Festive Mini and how to sponsor a light can be found on on its dedicated website.
