Leicester City Football Club Manager Claudio Ranieri performed this year’s switch-on ceremony for the Merlyn Vaz Christmas Tree.
The Merlyn Vaz Tree is lit every year in memory of Merlyn Vaz, Leicester’s first female Asian Councillor and mother of Keith Vaz. Previous guest of honour have included Rev Jesse Jackson the Civil Rights Leader; Indian Bollywood Star – Dharmendra, from BBC’s Eastenders, and Goodness Gracious Me - Nina Wadia; from Coronation Street – Shobhna Gulati, Local Boxing Champion Rendall Munroe and Bhasker Patel who plays Rishi Sharma in ITV’s programme “Emmerdale” to name a few.
The light switch-on took place at the Methodist Church, 178 Uppingham Road, Leicester LE5 0QG on Thursday 3 December 2015 at 6.30pm.
Keith Vaz said: "This occasion is one of my favourite events of the year and as in previous years Hampers will be distributed to nominated Senior citizens of Leicester.
"I would like to take this opportunity to wish the whole of Leicester a very Merry Christmas.”
