Dermot O’Leary
Daytime television Legend Dermot O’Leary lit up the Eastern City – literally – by switching on its tallest Christmas tree yesterday.
The massive 67 foot tree, situated outside Pan Pacific Hotel London, is the latest edition to the iconic City skyline and is part of the Eastern City Business Improvement District’s Let it Snow of Light campaign to ensure this area is a place to visit and enjoy not just to work.
The tree, created by The Christmas Decorator, a company committed to sustainability which has earned them the Carbon Footprint Standard, has more than 100,000 high efficiency LED lights and 130 custom-crafted snowflakes ranging from 1 to 1.6 metres. The design features a striking snowflake topper in place of the traditional star, completing the tree’s dazzling winter motif.
In addition, there will be a light and musical sound extravaganza every day where the lights will twinkle, and a two-minute carol will play: Weekdays 8am/8.30am/9am/12/12.30pm/1pm/5.30pm/6pm and 6.30pm. Weekends 10am/10.30am/11am/1pm/1/30pm/2pm/5.30pm/6pm and 6.30pm.
Dermot O’Leary said: “ Until now, missing from my collection, has been switching on the Christmas lights. I’ve turned them on at home, but that involved 4 hours of untangling wires and barely registered an, ‘ooh’ from my family when I flicked the switch – hardly the stuff of dreams. No, I mean Christmas Lights with a capital C and capital L…the sort of lights you can see from space…or at least Old Street, I’m not that fussy.
“So when one of the great, legendary BIDs got in touch…yeah, you know who I’m talking about, those guys, the Eastern City Business Improvement District – and asked if I would start their ‘Let It Snow’ campaign by switching on the lights for the City’s tallest Christmas tree outside the Pan Pacific London Hotel…my answer – after asking what time is it, can I get a cab there and back, will I need a coat, how many people are going to be there and will there be food, was YES!”
Kate Hart, CEO of the Eastern City BID
“This stunning Christmas tree is a great example of how, through partnership and collaboration, we can achieve more and more. This installation rounds off a fabulous year of collaboration here in the Eastern City