FESTIVAL OF TREES ADDS TO CELEBRATIONS

The illuminated windows are not the only creative Christmas endeavour in Askrigg. Most churches boast a splendidly decorated tree at Christmas. St Oswald’s has not one, but 30 filling its beautiful and serene 15th century interior, with a blaze of light and the fresh, uplifting scent of pine. The trees are fast becoming as big a draw as the Advent windows.

David Entwistle delights in the tiny upturned faces of his grandchildren Jade, aged five, and three-year-old Willow, who in turn are amazed by what they can see. David lives in the next village, but brings the girls every year to see Askrigg’s enchanting Christmas tree festival. “They light up the church and are a great attraction for the village,” he says. “It fosters a tremendous local spirit, and the children are absolutely entranced by them.”

The trees are an eclectic, but highly effective, mix of real, home-made and recycled trees: one has even been dragged back from the forest, where it was ‘retired’ the year before, and reinvented with an environmental theme. On first glance, this looks like a traditional tinselly tree, but a closer look reveals that the decorations are actually bits of old plastic straws and bottle tops.

Below the magnificent beamed roof, each pew has its own tree, and there are more of them packed in around the transepts. One even sits atop the font. It is hard to believe that the delightful angels hanging from its branches are made from toilet rolls. Another has little replica village houses. Some have knitted animals and even precious toys lent for the occasion.

There seems to be no end to the creativity and inventiveness of the villagers, and their willingness to include everyone shows a real commitment to village life. There is the parcel tree and the clever wooden tree adorned with alpacas. A moving memorial tree has notes on stars, and another has tiny crocheted mice. There is an ingenious ‘organ’ tree, with stops made out of cream pots from cafés.

Another shows the local whist group playing cards, and yet another is made out of empty tins, with a silver angel made from a corkscrew, with ‘arms’ outstretched and wearing a robe that is actually a cheese grater.

David Entwistle and his granddaughters get up close to inspect the glittering decorations.

Elizabeth Fawcett sits in the pews at St Oswald’s to take in the sparkling tree display.

The font tree, with its simple but effective angels (above). A sequinned dove, knitted mice and folded paper stars illustrate the many different styles of decoration.