THE family of a man with terminal cancer have pulled out all the stops to make this Christmas his best ever.

Former miner Peter Lythgoe has successfully fought the disease twice, but when doctors found a tumour at the base of his spine last month, they told him there was nothing they could do.

His wife, Yvonne, decided that as this may be their last Christmas together, she and the rest of the family would make an extra special effort — by decking the house in festive lights as her husband has done for the last few years.

Mrs Lythgoe, aged 59, said: “It is just something we wanted to do to. Putting up the lights has been a hobby of Peter’s and the house always gets lots of visitors.

“In the past we have even had people knocking on the door asking us when we are going to switch on the lights.

“It is awful to say, but if this is Peter’s last Christmas then we want it to be a special one. I am looking forward to having a really nice family Christmas.”

Mr Lythgoe has always taken pride in his festive decorations, but while battling cancer has not had the strength to put them up at his home in Woodvale Drive, Great Lever.

Over the past three years the 69-year-old father-of-five, has battled bowel and liver cancer.

But last month, he was told the cancer had returned near to his spine and that operating could paralyse him.

He has now started a course of chemotherapy.

Mr Lythgoe said: “I’m not giving up.

“The doctors have told me the cancer is terminal, but the lights will go up next year and the year after that.

“It is wonderful what my family has done this year. It has given me a real boost.”

Mr Lythgoe’s grandchildren, Joshua, aged nine, and Nicola, aged 13, joined their grandad for the big switch-on.