The St Barnabas Bromborough Christmas tree festival hosted more than 80 trees this year, each decorated by community groups, charities and businesses from the local area. The festival this year attracted over 3,000 visitors - a record number in the 8 years the event has been held. 80 trees was also a record number of participants. The trees were available to view for a week, with visitors voting for the 3 trees that were their favourite. The competition Winner this year was G force dance. The top 10 trees voted for will stay on display in the church for the duration of the Christmas period, alongside the collection of large trees (the 4 biggest are 15 ft!).
The tree festival is run solely by volunteers who give their time to organise and steward the event. There is no charge for entry, instead donations are encouraged to support the upkeep and work of the church. Tree ‘pitches’ are sponsored and prices vary depending on size and organisation type.
Jenny Gillies, Rector at St Barnabas Church says, ‘I was delighted to see that we managed to attract a record number of visitors at our tree festival this year. It’s something I wanted to set up when I first came to Bromborough 10 years ago, and has only been able to become the event it is today thanks to our amazing volunteers and the willingness of the community to get involved. My favourite part is the ‘set up’ day before we open. Seeing so many different parts of Bromborough come together is an amazing thing to be part of. Welcoming so many visitors into church and seeing their faces when they see the trees is wonderful. It’s one of my proudest achievements as rector.’
Now the festival is over, the church is moving on to its community Christmas feeding project. The church and its volunteers, including members of the Bromborough Village Community Association, will assemble food hampers and gifts for those needing support this Christmas. This project is done in partnership with the local schools in Bromborough, and this year with the help of grants from the National Lottery Community Fund and DWP via Wirral Borough Council. Over 100 families will be supported with food, gifts and esssential supplies.