STOKE Fleming Parish Church sparkled with the light of 30 individually decorated real Christmas trees for three days from Friday until Sunday.

The collection of colours and decorations and the scent of fir trees filled the church of St Peter in what was the 10th Christmas tree festival in the village.

More than 700 visitors came through the doors to see the pretty trees and be a part of the festival, which since its inception has come to symbolise the start of Christmas celebrations for both the village and those from further afield.

Every year, local organisations, clubs, societies and businesses are invited to sponsor a tree and decorate it to their chosen theme. Themes varied this year from Celebrating the Olympics to A Creepy Crawly Christmas and Pantomime Time.

Each year the festival choses a local charity to support, and this year was in aid of Rowcroft Hospice and church funds.

A tree decorated in the Rowcroft colours of gold, purple and blue stood out among the other entries.

The prayer tree also looked striking, festooned with several heartfelt messages in different coloured Christmas tree shapes, which will remain in church over the festive period.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, a small reception was hosted by the Friends of St Peter’s Church on Friday evening to thank the sponsors and helpers for their support over the years.

One of the organisers, Shirley Ruddlesden said: ‘We would like to thank everyone who helped in any way as well the 700-plus visitors who made the festival so special.

‘Counting of proceeds is still under way but we hope to make a generous donation to Rowcroft shortly.’