Excited crowds cheering as the Christmas lights were turned on used to be a traditional part of the festive season - until Covid struck.

But one amazing road in Windsor has kept the tradition up this year - without breaching any of the social distancing rules.

Ali Grime who lives in Devereux Road, Windsor with her husband Nick explained how.

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She said: “It is such an amazing street.

“Everyone went onto WhatsApp at the start of lockdown and helped everybody else.

“If you are cooking and you suddenly need an onion you only have to go online and you’ll find one on your doorstep.

“If it’s anyone’s birthday they are guaranteed to get a Happy Birthday message.

“So we all decided to cheer ourselves up by having an official ‘Christmas lights switch on’ too.”

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Everyone festooned the front of their houses with lights and when the great day came switched them off at 4pm for an hour - ready for a traditional official ‘switch-on’ at 5. The children who live in the street were the ‘celebrities’ invited to launch the switch-on.

They gathered outside - all carefully socially distanced and chaperoned by one parent - and gave the word as every house’s lights were turned on again at exactly the same time.

Ali Grime said: “Everybody cheered together from a safe distance and we had our own Christmas lights launch.

“All the surrounding streets are so envious.”

Meanwhile Ali’s husband Nick came up with his own idea for cheering people up during the current restrictions.

He and friend Chris Other set up a company called Care Cartons, organising hampers online for people stuck at home.

Its catchline is ‘we’ll treat you because we can’t meet you’. It has taken off and they have sold 500 hampers.

Another highlight for residents of Devereux Road has been Thirsty Thursday where one of the residents Joel does a video

every Thursday showing himself making a different cocktail, before holding a drawer in which one lucky resident wins a prize.

The website for Care Cartons is www.carecartons.co.uk.