DESPITE suffering more than their fair share of bad fortune, a Stratton family is determined to celebrate Christmas in style.

Mother-of-six Wendy Gilbert, 35, is epileptic, suffers from multiple sclerosis and last year doctors told her she has a brain tumour.

Yet she is determined to be positive and sees Christmas as the perfect time for the family to celebrate what they have.

Wendy and husband Tony, 37, have adorned their house in Meadowcroft in an array of amazing decorations to get into the Christmas spirit.

Tony, who cannot work because he is a full-time carer for his wife, said: "There are enough things to be worried about for the rest of the year. At Christmas we make sure we have a good time together."

The family has put Christmas decorations all over the outside of the house, including an illuminated Santa Claus on the wall and two small Santa statues at the front of the house.

"With the things that we have to deal with from day to day, it's great to really celebrate and forget about all the problems that we have," said Wendy.

"It is difficult putting up with the things I have to put up with because of my illnesses, but we have to try and put on a brave face for the children."

Wendy's epilepsy means that she regularly has fits, up to seven or eight a day.

"I can have a fit anytime at all," she said. "I had one on the stairs a couple of days ago.

"Fortunately Tony was there to catch me, but if he wasn't I could have fallen down the stairs and done a lot of damage."

Wendy also finds it difficult to walk any long distances because she has multiple sclerosis.

The brain tumour, while not thought to be life threatening, is painful.

She has to keep her hair cut very short because when it is long the pressure of it on her head causes her pain.

The couple's six children Katie, 11, Tony, 10, Jane, nine, Scott, eight, and twins Jennifer and Amanda, seven, love the festive season when their parents go well and truly over the top with decorations for the house, both inside and outside.

The front room has become a shrine to the festive season.

Dancing, singing and laughing miniature statues of Santa Claus, snowmen, trees and other Christmas paraphernalia take over almost half the room, all standing on a bed of fake snow.

"My favourite decoration is the one of Santa and Mrs Claus sitting on a bench," said Wendy. "But they are all wonderful, we all think they are lovely."

Judging by the number of people who stop to admire the decorations on the outside of the house as they pass, so do many others.