Heroes to switch on Kettering Christmas lights announced after community nominations

Home-grown heroes nominated by residents have been picked to perform Kettering’s official Christmas light switch-on.

Hundreds of nominations were received from people across the town with 35 names being put forward as worthy of the honour.

The mayor of Kettering, Cllr Emily Fedorowycz, had the task of reading through all the nominations and choosing the person who most deserved the honour.

A pair of legends have agreed to flick the switch – six-year-old schoolboy Sebastian Nunney who is battling cancer and community foodbank organiser and fundraiser, Kelly Mercer.

Cllr Fedorowycz said: “I knew it was going to be difficult but I didn’t think it would be quite this hard a decision. We had an incredible amount of truly amazing people put forward. There is a wonderful amount of good work being done in our community, it was truly humbling to read about everything that these people have done.

“We managed to narrow down the nominations to the final two but we couldn’t choose between them so we are in the happy situation of having two people coming along to light up Kettering this year.

“Sebastian really does deserve this honour. He is an inspirational boy who has touched the lives of so many people in Kettering. I am so pleased that he is being given this treat.

“Kelly has done such an amount of work for local people. She is tireless in her dedication and support of the community. I am pleased to put her forward to turn on the lights and give the people of Kettering a chance to cheer Kelly for all she does.”

Sebastian Nunney has been battling rare childhood cancer – neuroblastoma – for more than three years, and his friends and family are currently fundraising to help him get special treatment abroad.

Sebastian said he was ‘very excited’ to be switching on the lights.

Kelly Mercer runs the Highfield Barnes Community Centre, runs a foodbank, set up a low-cost costume hire service for children and raises money for lots of different good causes including arranging affordable holidays for children.

The Christmas lights event takes place in the Market Place on Thursday, November 23 from 4pm.

Find out more at: www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/christmas.