Photo: The final touches being put on the Cairns Christmas Tree before it lights up tomorrow. Source: Facebook

Christmas will hit Cairns this weekend as Council lights up its massive Christmas tree on the Esplanade.

The 10-metre tree will come to life with 8000 LED lights on Saturday night at 7pm.

Mayor Bob Manning says three young girls who won Council's e-card competition will be turning on the lights.

"The winner of our card competition this year is Pyper Northam. And Zahra Hohage and Natallie Ros, who were the second and third place getters - those three girls will be invited to do the switch on of the lights for the Council," he says.

Cairns residents are being urged to protect themselves from dengue fever as the number of local cases jumps to seven in less than a week.

The Tropical Public Health Unit has linked all infected patients to the Edmonton area.

To try and contain the spread of the virus, locals are encouraged to clean up household gardens, empty water containers and use mosquito repellant.

Health authorities say the virus was initially brought in by a person who had travelled to Asia.

In this, the last month of the financial year, I'll be focusing on some of the local charities that would appreciate a hand - remembering that you can make a tax-deductible donation for the end of the financial year. 

Ruth's Womens Shelter has been around since the 70s, providing a safe haven for women and children in the Far North.

Hear my chat with the manager, Emalee about this very important service in Cairns.

Anton - "The Barefoot Dutchman" has chosen Cairns as his departure point for a 2600km barefoot adventure to Sydney, raising money for Men's Mental Health and hoping to break a Guinness World Record in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Anton (@thebarefoot_dutchman)

Hear more about what motivated Anton to take off the shoes and challenge himself in the below interview.

Head to www.barefootdutchman.com for more info & to show your support for men's mental health.