MORE than 6,000 visitors from far and wide visited Tavistock Parish Church’s tenth annual Xmas Tree Festival and helped to raise more than £13,400.

The event, opening the Friday before Advent Sunday, ran for ten days finishing with a Christingle Service on Sunday, December 9. It was a major draw for people visiting the town for the Dickensian Evening.

A total 67 trees, funded and decorated by local schools, organisations and businesses, lit up the church. The festival was sponsored by The Friends of St Eustachius’ and chairman, Rick Crawford, said: ‘The support we received was fantastic and enormous thanks to everyone involved, from groups entering trees, to the many helpers and, of course, to all our visitors.

‘This was our tenth year and we now seem to have lots of returning visitors, both local people and also from much further away. The money raised is vital for the upkeep and improvement of the church and it was also rewarding to hear many kind comments on the warm welcome people received during their visit’.

He added: ‘As in all past years the driving force of the Christmas Tree Festival was Pat Morrison, who not content with this year’s success, is already planning for 2019.’

Visitors were asked to vote for their favourite tree and joint winners were Tavistock Primary and Nursery School and Abbey Rise Day Service.