In the dark of winter, in a place where there are no street lights, a Christmas tree has grown so tall that people can see its sparkling lights from miles around.
In fact, the entire town of Inkberrow in Worcestershire, England, gathers on Pepper Street every year for the annual “Switching on” ceremony.
Avril and Christopher Rowlands bought the tiny fir tree for $6 in 1978 and after Christmas planted it in their yard to mark their first holiday together in the new home.
With 45 years of nurturing, it has grown 52-ft high and the couple now in their 80’s are still draping it with lights in December—providing a majestic light to a countryside with little illumination on any horizon.
For the last two decades the couple has needed the help of a cherry picker to decorate the tree with thousands of lights, now that it towers over their 4-bedroom home.
Beyond the benefits of uniting the town and bringing in tourists from far and wide, the Rowlands have raised more than £25,000 for charities, including the British Heart Foundation and Alzheimer’s Research UK.
In 2022, they raised £3,000 for Worcester Food Bank and this year they hope to raise thousands in donations for the Midlands Air Ambulance service.
Despite the energy costs to light the tree, the couple continues the annual tradition which brought in around 2,000 people to see it lit up on the night of December 6.
“It’s remarkable to think we bought the tree as a sapling,” said Avril, a retired TV writer.
“We had no idea it would grow so tall but we’re delighted it has. Every year people say the tree switch-on marks the start of Christmas.”
The Inkberrow tree has even been named as a local landmark on Google Maps and has attracted only 5-star reviews.
To help pay for the electricity bill, the couple contacted their energy supplier who agreed to contribute £100 to their bill for Christmas.
The couple will switch the lights on every night from 4.30pm to 9.30pm until January 6.
Avril admitted that maintaining the tree was increasingly challenging due to its sheer size.
“The tree did have a disease a year ago but we had the lower branches pruned, and wooden posts installed to support it, and it’s never looked better.”
“Obviously, Chris and I are getting on, I’m 80 next year, but we’ve got no plans to stop
the Christmas switch on.”
“We wouldn’t know what to do if we couldn’t do this every year. It’s become a tradition in the village—and beyond—which is wonderful.”
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Avril swooned, “We even get holiday cards addressed to the tree, which is quite sweet.”
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