Hartlepool dad installs huge 35 foot tall inflatable Grinch on his house

The unique way of raising money began with Ray’s seven-year-old daughter Jasmine’s love for the Grinch, when he spotted it while shopping online for merchandise to buy her.

Standing at 35 feet tall in the garden of Ray’s Park Avenue home, the inflatable Grinch is only one of five in the world.

Alice House Hospice have lost around £1.5million in income due to the pandemic and Ray has been wanting to raise money for them after his dad sadly died on May 2 after testing positive for Covid-19.

It wasn’t until a stranger donated £10 to have her photo taken with the Grinch did he think of using it to raise money.

The 49-year-old commented: “Sadly my dad died from Covid on May 2 while he was in their care and they did a great job.

"We unfortunately couldn’t go and visit him and I’ve always wanted to do something as a thank you but the restrictions have made it difficult for us to do anything.

“A woman donated some money so I rang the hospice with the idea and they quickly got a Just Giving page together.”

Originally, the Grinch was supposed to be delivered on December 8, however it arrived early and Ray wasted no time in blowing it up.

The company director added: “It was delivered early and I first inflated it in the factory at work – well it just dwarfed everything.

"I took it home on Tuesday (November 24) and the street just ended up being blocked with people coming to see it.

"On Wednesday, I couldn’t get home due to the traffic heading towards the house.”

Ray has spoken of how positive the whole thing has been with people coming from afar to get their photo taken with the inflatable.

He commented: "I think we’ve raised £2,000 in cash from this weekend alone, there has been nothing but positivity around it.

"I just want everyone to enjoy it, people from across the region have been coming to visit – it’s really heart-warming.”

You can donate to the Alice House Hospice Grinch fundraiser by clicking here.

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