AN ANNAN woman is making a stand after her housing provider warned her to take down festive decorations.
This follows Cunninghame Housing Partnership sending letters to tenants across the region requesting that they remove outdoor Christmas decorations that could cause a safety or security risk.
Gemma Hunter was one such tenant and she is outraged at the letter and has been taking a stand against it.
She said: “I noticed in the news that people in Gretna were being asked to take down their outdoor decorations.
“I have been dealing with the same issue with Cunninghame regarding my outdoor decorations, and I’m sick of it.
“Our previous housing association never had an issue with my decorations for 12 years, and now I’m being told to take everything down when I just want to spread some Christmas cheer for not just ourselves, but for the whole neighbourhood to enjoy.”
Pleading her case, she added: “My six-year-old son is autistic and loves the decorations, and he is distraught that they have to be taken down.
“Random cars have stopped to look at our display and some of our neighbours have started putting outdoor decorations up in solidarity since we received the letter.
“I think it helps to spread joy, especially for people with mental health issues. I want to keep these decorations lit up until January for the sake of mental health, to keep a light on during the darkest months.
Gemma has been taking steps to keep her Christmas lights on, including making an application to alter and fit an external socket to remove the risk.
Meanwhile, a representative of Cunninghame Housing Association repeated their statement from last week, which said: “The Association cannot comment on individual tenants, however we can confirm that we are fully supportive of our tenants celebrating the festive period, including using exterior Christmas lights.
“We do ask tenants to ensure that decorations are not fixed by drilling into exterior walls, and that no cables are run from windows or doors for health and safety and security reasons.
“Tenants can also submit an application for an alteration request using this online form here.”
