Residents invited to 2023 Christmas Tree festivities
By Connor Steel
LOCAL RESIDENTS have been invited to attend the 2023 ‘Christmas Tree Festival’ that will take place within a popular church in Alverstoke next month with organisers releasing further information about this event; which is likely to feature an impressive array of seventy five trees all decorated by charities, schools, clubs, businesses, and community groups.
The well-loved event is marking its fifteenth year and will again be held at St Mary’s Church in Alverstoke, beginning on the evening of December 7 (Thursday) with the opening ceremony from 6:15pm to 7:30pm. It will further include a wide variety of traditional Christmas carols and lighting of the trees, but is set to be open to a small number of invited guests.
Festivities will be opened to the general public from the afternoon of December 8 (Friday), with visitors invited to attend the church between 3pm and 7pm that day. The church will further be open on Saturday (December 9) from 11am-6pm and Sunday (December 10) from 12pm-6pm; all of these timings working in conjunction with daily and weekly services.
Each of the seventy-five trees will be individually designed with previous shows seeing displays from Hampshire Police and Gosport Borough Council, whilst the poignant Remembrance tree is due to allow visitors to mark their “loved ones” this Christmas. Live carols and festive music is furthermore due to be played by local choirs across this four day event.
Admission will cost each adult £3 and children are allowed free entry with all the money raised going to support funding for Alverstoke Parish Church. There will also be selections of refreshments available on Saturday and Sunday from the Parish Centre; this can be found opposite to St Mary’s Church on Green Road and limited parking is based in this area.
Readers are urged to find out more about the 2023 Christmas Tree Festival and all future services at St Mary’s Church by clicking the link of www.stmarysalverstoke.org.uk. Details may also be found on their Facebook page available here.
PICTURED BY ALVERSTOKE PARISH CENTRE: Trees light up the dark interior of church before the Festival in 2017.
