A couple's first Christmas tree they planted in 1978 now stands 50ft tall and attracts thousands of people to their festive lights switch-on.
Avril and Christopher Rowlands paid £6 for the fir which they put in their new home in the pretty village of Inkberrow, Worcs.
After enjoying their first Christmas in 1978, the couple planted the tree outside in the front garden.
Over the years it has steadily grown and it now towers over their four-bedroom detached property – measuring a whopping 50ft (15.24m).
Each December the couple decorate their giant fir with thousands of fairy lights which they switch on for the villagers.
The tree is so tall a cherry picker is used to reach the top branches and add the star to the top.
The lit tree is one of the brightest landmarks in Inkberrow - which is one of UK’s darkest villages on account of there being no street lights.
Avril and Christopher’s fir now attracts thousands of people who view their tree every December and it even stars in a new children’s book.
Retired TV writer Avril, 78, who penned the book, said: “It’s amazing to think that when we first bought the tree in 1978 we brought it home on the roof of my Mini.
“We decided to plant the tree outside our window to mark our first Christmas in our new home.
“Since then the tree has just shot up and is now an unofficial landmark in the village.
“We love doing the Christmas lights. The tree can be seen from miles around on clear nights and people flock to see it.
“It’s become something of a tradition for people in the village and beyond.
“It even inspired me to write a children’s book about the tree called The Laxford House Christmas Tree.
“It’s gone wild in the village. With the sale of the book, the tree has spanned generations in the village."
Retired BBC editor Christopher, 79, said: “The tree is really special.
"During Covid, we didn’t do the switch-on but it was lit. It was a like a beacon of hope. We are so grateful for the help we receive every year to light it up.
"It's become something of an annual tradition and long may it continue."
The couple ask for people who admire the lights to make a donation and over the years they have raised thousands of pounds for charity.
This year the couple are raising money for a local charity which provides a foodbank for people struggling and shelter for the homeless.
The couple cut down on their own electricity bill by having the lights switched on for just two hours each night.
Avril and Christopher Rowlands paid £6 for the fir which they put in their new home in the pretty village of Inkberrow, Worcs.
After enjoying their first Christmas in 1978, the couple planted the tree outside in the front garden.
Over the years it has steadily grown and it now towers over their four-bedroom detached property – measuring a whopping 50ft (15.24m).
Each December the couple decorate their giant fir with thousands of fairy lights which they switch on for the villagers.
The tree is so tall a cherry picker is used to reach the top branches and add the star to the top.
The lit tree is one of the brightest landmarks in Inkberrow - which is one of UK’s darkest villages on account of there being no street lights.
Avril and Christopher’s fir now attracts thousands of people who view their tree every December and it even stars in a new children’s book.
Retired TV writer Avril, 78, who penned the book, said: “It’s amazing to think that when we first bought the tree in 1978 we brought it home on the roof of my Mini.
“We decided to plant the tree outside our window to mark our first Christmas in our new home.
“Since then the tree has just shot up and is now an unofficial landmark in the village.
“We love doing the Christmas lights. The tree can be seen from miles around on clear nights and people flock to see it.
“It’s become something of a tradition for people in the village and beyond.
“It even inspired me to write a children’s book about the tree called The Laxford House Christmas Tree.
“It’s gone wild in the village. With the sale of the book, the tree has spanned generations in the village."
Retired BBC editor Christopher, 79, said: “The tree is really special.
"During Covid, we didn’t do the switch-on but it was lit. It was a like a beacon of hope. We are so grateful for the help we receive every year to light it up.
"It's become something of an annual tradition and long may it continue."
The couple ask for people who admire the lights to make a donation and over the years they have raised thousands of pounds for charity.
This year the couple are raising money for a local charity which provides a foodbank for people struggling and shelter for the homeless.
The couple cut down on their own electricity bill by having the lights switched on for just two hours each night.
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FunTranscript
00:00 I'm Avril and I'm Chris
00:28 and we live in a small village, Inkbarrow, in Worcestershire and we've been here 45 years.
00:35 When we first came to the village, we, from London, we loved the fact that there were
00:39 no street lights. We came in November, the post office, and we still have a post office
00:46 fortunately, had a small Christmas tree outside with a few lights and we thought, that's a
00:51 very good idea. Our house is on a corner at the bottom of a hill and we thought it would
00:59 be nice to plant a Christmas tree and put some lights on. So we bought a little Christmas
01:05 tree from a garden centre and brought it back to Inkbarrow on the top of my mini estate
01:13 and planted it. It was never in the house and we put six lights on. 45 years later,
01:22 it's now grown to over 50 foot and we have a thousand lights on it and we make a charity
01:30 collection to different charities each year. There are so many worthwhile charities. This
01:36 year we've chosen a local one, Caring Hands in the Vale. It's an Evesham based charity
01:43 which supports homeless people. It provides a food bank, hot meals, facilities such as
01:51 as basic as even being able to charge your phone and help for those who are in any kind
01:56 of financial distress. So we felt that it was a good charity to support and we're hoping
02:03 to raise a lot of money for it.
02:05 [rain]
02:07 [rain]
02:35 People have told us that our tree has spanned the generations. People who live in the village
02:42 who are children, when we first planted it, now have grown up children and they bring
02:48 their grandchildren and that's a very nice thing as well. There's a continuity there.
02:53 There's an awful lot of support. We couldn't do it. There's a firm quarrying contractor
02:58 called S.E. Davis on the edge of Redwich and Paul Davis has come, this is the 19th year
03:03 he's done it? 18th year. He comes with a low loader and a cherry picker and does the top
03:09 two thirds of the tree and we do the bottom, which of course is quite a lot because it's
03:15 fatter at the bottom and then he comes again in January and takes them all down again.
03:19 So it's quite a big thing. If it wasn't for him we couldn't possibly afford to do it and
03:24 he says he'll carry on doing it which is a great gesture. Yeah and it's very generous.
03:28 I'm a children's author and I've written a short fairy story, the Laxford House Christmas
03:34 Tree, about our Christmas tree, just for fun. And it's gone viral in the village. It's been
03:42 very popular, which is lovely and I've been donating, I've been selling it at a reduced
03:48 price, signed copies and I've been giving a proportion of that to the charity that we're
03:56 supporting this year which is a local Evesham based charity called Caring Hands in the Vale
04:03 which has a food bank and it helps people who are homeless and has facilities for those
04:12 who are in financial distress. So we're hoping to raise a lot of money. But yes I was very
04:17 surprised about the popularity of the book and very pleased.
04:22 [Sound of traffic]