TROWBRIDGE is now well and truly into the Christmas spirit, as more than sixty decorated Christmas trees bring a festive atmosphere to the Parish Church of Trowbridge.

Delighting the town with the display, the festival has been long awaited and is even more special this year.

Although last year’s festival was cancelled due to Covid-19 and lockdown, it has made this year’s event a very welcome return for members of St James’s Church.

Christmas Tree Festival coordinator Dilys Beckett was very pleased with the number of entrants at the launch.

She said: “I put out emails to groups that took part in previous festivals and I was so pleased with the response. We have 62 decorated trees from groups and organisations from around the town making this event a success.”

It seems that the event is still very much a hit, with a great turnout making all the hard work and preparation worthwhile.

Cathy Senior who has been involved with the tree festival for five years was one of the original founders of the event.

She said: “We have been successful with this event and in previous years have raised hundreds of pounds for charity.

“Although we couldn’t raise any funds last year, we were pleased to have raised over £1.500 in 2019 from donations and monies made from refreshments.”

This year the group are raising funds for Breakthrough Homeless Day Centre who help the homeless and the charity, Stand By Me, a charity which helps children in need overseas.

Among the Christmas trees on show was the one from Clarendon Academy that had gingerbread decorations along with colourful trimmings made from textiles.

A note from the school explained: "We thank St James’s church for allowing us to share these wonderful creations with the community."

The festival runs to late on Saturday with free admission.