One last hurrah for Bill

After devoting decades to charity fundraisers through his epic Christmas light display, a ‘local legend’s’ legacy is being continued with a challenging fundraiser.

Bill Wright’s family have launched a GoFundMe with the ambitious goal of raising £18,000 for charity as part of “one last hurrah” for their loved one who sadly died last month.

Walk down memory lane with our glorious gallery looking back at Bill and Barbara Wright's Christmas display in Portchester. | The News

The 82-year-old, who died at QA Hospital on Monday, September 28, was best known for his iconic festive display he ran with his wife, Barbara, at their Portchester home. Between 2016 and 2025, the pair raised a whopping £18,360.71 for charity.

And in a bid to keep his legacy alive, his family are hoping to match the amount of money he raised over the course of almost a decade in a matter of months - with all proceeds going to Woodsy’s Pantry in his honour.

Ian Tindale, Bill’s son-in-law, launched the page on Wednesday, October 7 with funds already reaching £1,525.

The 55-year-old said: “We are trying to raise in the region of £18,000 but his story is really what we want shared. We are only asking for 20p and we are hoping that organisations and businesses will also be able to donate and share the fundraiser.

“He is a local legend. He has been raising money for charity for years and he really is a community legend. We’ve had people come out of the woodwork and say they used to come down and put some change in the pot.

“We want people to get behind the story - he would be blown away with the response so far. Zoe said to me the other day that if Bill could see what was going on and how much money has been raised so far, he would be in tears. We are just trying to do something for his legacy and say a big thank you to someone who always did what he could for the community.”

Ian told The News how the collection pot at Bill’s home, in The Crossways, will be open for donations. He is also hoping local businesses will house collection tins for the next few months until the fundraiser’s deadline, which will be Christmas day.

Zoe previously said: “All holidays had to be planned around his Christmas lights and at times, my mum would stand behind him pulling a face but he loved it. He couldn’t wait until the shops had their lights up, he would be straight down there looking for more and he was always looking for new ideas.

“So much money came out of his own pocket. The electric bills went up while doing it but the cost to him didn’t matter because he wanted to help others.

“He was an amazing dad. He was really great fun - we would go on road trips and he would drive us in the car to France and Germany.

“Everybody knew how amazing he was. You never get tired of being so proud of someone so amazing.”