A 19-foot Norway Spruce from Britain’s champion Christmas tree grower has been lit up outside No 10 Downing Street as a gift for the nation. 

The towering and immaculately decorated spruce celebrates British Christmas tree growers who nurture locally grown real trees on plantations across Great Britain and Northern Ireland as seasonal centrepieces for millions of homes, businesses and public spaces.

The Prime Minister hosted an event to illuminate the Downing Street Christmas tree during a switch-on celebration today (Monday 1st December) as the countdown to Christmas truly begins. 

Cadeby Tree Trust from Leicestershire provided the Downing Street Christmas tree this year after being named Champion Christmas Tree Grower of the Year in an annual competition run by the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA).

Their Norway Spruce, with its dark green foliage, strong fragrance and conical shape, is a nod to traditions of yesteryear, with the tree species a renowned favourite for households up until more recent times, having been surpassed as bestsellers since by the Nordman Fir. To keep a Norway Spruce looking its best, indoors, it is best purchased closer to Christmas and kept well-watered.

Tom Theobald from Cadeby Tree Trust, who have been growing Christmas trees for more than 36 years, said: “It is an absolute pleasure to see our Norway Spruce stand tall and proud outside one of the world’s most famous addresses for all the nation to see. Hundreds of passionate British Christmas tree growers invest great skill and craft into nurturing the finest trees for everyone to enjoy, and I hope that our tree is a reminder that nothing beats a real British Christmas tree, grown locally and sustainably in harmony with nature.” 

The No 10 Christmas tree was decorated by Jane and Rebecca Ingram of The Tree Barn, Watlington, Oxfordshire.

The wreath on Downing Street’s iconic black door was provided by Strawson Woodland of Lincolnshire, winners of Champion Festive Wreath in the BCTGA competition. 

The runner up of this year’s Champion Christmas Tree Grower of the Year, Scottish Christmas Trees in Dumfries and Galloway, has supplied Christmas trees for inside No 10, whilst Infinity Christmas Trees, Herefordshire, has supplied trees to decorate the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) after winning the BCTGA’s Photo of the Year.

Russell Parkins, Chair of BCTGA said: “There’s something special about the humble Christmas tree bringing families together year after year to continue traditions that have spun throughout the generations. The simplicity of bringing evergreens from outside to inside to symbolise the start of a new year, and hope for the future, is a ritual that started more than a thousand years ago. The competition winners whose trees and wreaths adorn Downing Street and the FCDO are reminders that this treasured tradition is in great hands.”

The British Christmas Tree Growers Association represents 300 members across Great Britain and Northern Ireland and is managed by farming charity, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

Picture credit: No 10 Downing Street.