Lymington Christmas Tree Festival

Linda Guilding shares news from the parishes of Lymington, Brockenhurst and Milford on Sea…

The Christmas tree festival is organised by the Friends of St Thomas’s C of E church, Lymington and takes place each year in early December. St Thomas’s and Our Lady of Mercy and St Joseph are part of Churches Together Lymington & Pennington. There are over 60 trees in the festival. They are all fresh trees and as you enter the church the smell of ‘forest’ is overwhelming.

Local schools, businesses, charities, and individuals take part. They purchase a tree, decorate and display it.  Visitors are invited to put bid for each tree and they are auctioned off at the end of the festival. Our entry, which the parish Friendship club entered, was number 62 and it was decorated by parishioners Frances Walker, Marie Togher and Cathryn Lawrence (pictured). Our tree was sold, and the proceeds went to Charity.

The Christmas tree festival is a wonderful way of meeting people from all walks of life and denominations. It is our opportunity of highlighting the presence of the Catholic church in the High street whilst being within our neighbouring Anglican church.