A new photo from Matthew’s appearance switching on the Ilkley Christmas Lights is now online by way of a news article. View the photo in the gallery! The article also includes a transcription of part of his speech, which can be watched in full in this post.
He paid tribute to Sir Jimmy who he described as ‘an absolute legend,’ encouraging the crowd to give ‘three cheers for Jimmy’ before switching on the lights. He said: “I must admit I was hesitant to take on the responsibility of switching on the lights, because of the very large boots he has left to fill. I met him a few times and was amazed by the vitality he had. His enthusiasm for philanthropy was so inspirational, he did so much for so many people and I just know he would have loved to have been here tonight to turn on the Christmas lights in Ilkley. But I am also sure he wouldn’t have wanted it to have turned into a sombre affair so before I turn on the lights, I thought we could do three cheers for Jimmy.”
