St Laurence's Church, Bidford-on-Avon, will be holding its tenth annual Christmas Tree Festival this year, as usual over the second weekend in December - Saturday and Sunday 8th and 9th, open from 12 noon to 6.00 p.m. on both days.
This event over the ten years has become increasingly popular, and we regularly get well over 1,000 visitors from all over the Midlands during the weekend. 2007's festival is again at the end of a year of severe flooding of the River Avon, as was our first festival in 1998, after flooding that year over Easter. There are up to 40 decorated Christmas trees round the walls in the church, with a theme of choice. Most carry lights, and the effect is magical when the church lights are periodically switched off after dark and the whole place is illuminated by just the Christmas tree lights. The event is greatly looked forward to by many hundreds of people each December. Some unusual 'trees' in the past have been made of rope, paper, plastic, and Christmas cakes!
As well as excellent refreshments in the Church Hall and the ever-popular Raffle there are, as always, five classes of tree: Business, Individual/Family, Organisations, Schools, Children under 11. The visitors vote for their favourite tree in each class, as well as voting for their favourite tree in the whole event. The raffle is drawn and the prizes are awarded at 6.00 p.m. on the Sunday evening. The event has been televised at least twice, and been mentioned on local radio every year.