THE power of community and what it can achieve was evident at Fir Tree at the weekend when villagers came together to launch the start of Christmas.
The Fir Tree and Harperley Residents’ Association has worked hard for weeks organising the funding and purchase of a large Christmas tree as well as its delivery and maintenance.
Sonya Bree, the new Chairman of the Association was thrilled with the success of the event. She said, “The mission was a new Christmas tree for Fir Tree and to light it so you could see it for miles and I think we achieved that.”
She explained that the group had received £500 from County Councillor Robbie Roddis from his Neighbourhood budget. Secretary of the Association, Karen Fatkin, sourced the tree and a £350 donation from villager, Elliot Moor, given by his employer, paid for the solar powered energy which powered the lights on the tree.
Andrew Crawford, an electrician who lives in the village gave his services free, connecting lights and batteries as well as building a storage box to keep it all in. Two extra batteries were donated by a villager too to help support the solar panels.
The tree had been collected, planted and decorated by father and son team, Peter and Neil Armstrong with Steve Hodgson ensuring it stayed fresh using his gardening skills.
During the afternoon before the switch on by Father Christmas himself, Imogen and Gavin Bowater from the Duke of York, held their annual Christmas Tree party for the children and also ran a football card to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
The whole operation from start to finish proved just what a small village can do when everyone pulls together. “I cannot thank our team and community of volunteers enough over these last few weeks to help put everything in place,” said Sonya.
