People across the Isle of Man are lighting up their homes and businesses with fairy lights to symbolise hope among coronavirus fears.

As it turns out, festive fairy lights are not just for Christmas but for spreading positivity during uncertain times.

Philip Pain of St John’s was inspired to get a movement going throughout the island after he and his wife Christine spotted Christmas lights while driving through Foxdale.

’It really planted the idea that it would be a way of cheering things up like the dark days in winter,’ he told the Courier.

Returning home, he decided to wrap a tree in his garden with glittering lights.

’Both my wife and I thought it was a good idea. It made us smile and it sends a symbol of hope,’ he said. He posted a picture of his decorated garden to the Facebook page ’Manx Photographers’, which has generated a lot of interest. This, he believes, may encourage others living in the island to follow suit.

His post was also picked up by someone from Canada who has a Manx connection.

He said: ’Maybe it’s an idea that might catch on elsewhere?’

Mr Pain, who retired as Isle of Man airport director in 2007, is social distancing as he fits the category of over-70s who have been advised by the government to stay at home more.

Mannin Barbers on Victoria Street, Douglas, have joined the movement with lots of sparkling lights around two big windows and across walls.

Owner Kelly Erdbeer was prompted to put lights up three days ago after seeing a Facebook post and decided that would be ’quite fun’.

She said: ’With the way things are going, we are needing a bit of cheering up and it’s nice to spread a bit of happiness.

’Being in retail, it’s pretty bleak at the moment so it’s nice to have some sparkly lights.

’We have been struggling with the promenade works anyway and now it’s gone very quiet. We have a walk-in system, so it’s quite difficult. Other businesses are working from home.

’Having a salon you have to be super clean and even more so now, but no customers are seeing us and we cannot get people here.’ She is working on getting fairy lights up at home, despite her partner, Gavin, being what she calls ’a Grinch’.

Donna and Ean Proctor, a couple from Douglas, have wrapped their home in Christmas lights for joggers and dog-walkers in Noble’s Park to see.

Donna, a self-confessed lover of Christmas lights, said this time they wanted to spread some hope using the lights. She said: ’The lights light up the whole of our house and dog walkers and joggers can see them sparkling from Noble’s Park.

’It’s like a beacon of hope and to say we’re here, we’re okay and we hope you are too. We’re all in this together.

She added: ’It could be said that we will have expensive electricity bills, but as summer’s coming we don’t have the light inside on much so it offsets that cost.

’Italy has its singing from balconies. We don’t have that. Having lights brings the community together and is something visual.

’Light always means hope and that’s what we need to keep hold of at the moment.’

â?¢ If you have lit up your home with fairy lights, we would love to see them. Send your pictures to [email protected] or tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using @iomnewspapers