Tall Christmas tree in tiny town gains fame, prompts charity donations

When Avril and Chris Rowlands moved into their home in a small village in Britain in 1978, they planted a Christmas tree on their front lawn.

It was about 6 feet tall when they planted it. Now, 46 years later, it’s more than 50 feet, towering over the town and becoming a tourist attraction with its Google reviews. (The tree has a five-star rating with 25 reviews.)

“We had no idea it would end up quite a big deal,” said Avril Rowlands, 79.

She and her husband got the idea to plant the tree when they first moved from London to Inkberrow, a rural village in Worcestershire with a population of less than 2,000 people.

“The post office had a little tree outside with a few lights on it,” Avril said. “We liked it, so we bought a small Christmas tree, about 6 feet, and we put six lights on it.”

But they didn’t expect it to stir up attention in the small village and elsewhere.

About 20 years ago, as local residents developed an attachment to the tree – and the Rowlandses annual lighting of it – the couple decided to have a yearly switch-on party, when they light the tree for the season and invite community members. It is usually the first Saturday of December.

“It’s very much a village event,” Avril said, adding that they light fireworks, play music and serve refreshments. “We usually get a few hundred people.”

The Rowlands also use the event to raise money for causes they care about. Over the past two decades, they’ve raised more than $30,000 for various charities, including the local food bank, the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and the local hospice.

“There are so many worthwhile charities that we decided to support different charities each year,” Avril said, adding that they collect funds on JustGiving, and they also set up donation boxes around town. “People in the village are very generous and supportive.”

Residents say it’s the least they can do, considering how much joy the tree brings them.

“The money they’ve raised has gone to some very good causes,” said Nick Smith, who has lived up the road from the Rowlands for the past 35 years with his wife.

The Christmas tree switch-on is a yearly highlight for his family, Smith said, and for many in the village, it marks the start of the holiday season.

“People wait for this at Christmastime,” he said. “The numbers have really increased over the years quite a lot, from being 20 to 30 people to 200, 300, sometimes even more.”

Every year, Smith said, people are awed when they see the towering tree up close.

“It’s a huge tree,” he said.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the height and spread of a Christmas tree depends on the type of tree (the Rowlandses’ is a fir). Potted trees are limited in their size, whereas those planted in a garden – like the Rowlandses’ – can reach over 100 feet.

“It’s an enormous tree for a private house,” said Chris, 80, explaining that the tree is adorned with more than 1,000 lights.

“When we got to the point that we could no longer use a step ladder to put lights on the top, a friend of ours who owns a cherry picker hoist came and put the lights on the tree,” Avril said. “He’s been doing it for 20 years, and he doesn’t charge us anything.”

The Rowlands live in a corner house at the bottom of a hill.

“As you come down the hill, you can see it rising up with the lights on it,” Avril said. “It’s quite magical.”

Since the Rowlands use traditional bulbs rather than LEDs to decorate the tree, their electricity bill goes up considerably around Christmas. A few years ago, their electricity company called and flagged the high bill, and they explained the reasoning behind it.

“Each year, they’ve credited us with 100 pounds, which I think is very nice and very helpful,” Avril said.

The Rowlands – who do not have children – tend to their tree by watering the ground around it during notably dry periods and propping up heavier branches with posts. Aside from that, “We don’t do anything,” Avril said. “It just looks after itself, really.”

Ian Perry, 54, moved to the village 18 months ago from Staffordshire, England. He said he was tickled by the tree – which has been chronicled in various publications – even before becoming a resident.

“Everyone speaks about the tree all the way through the year, and then there’s a countdown to when the lights are switched on,” he said, explaining that in doing research online about the village, he came across information about the famous tree.

The lights are on every evening from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m., from early December until Jan. 6. The Rowlands said they intend to keep their tree tradition going as long as they can.

“People have said to us that they used to watch the lights when they were children from their bedroom window, and now they’re bringing their own children to see the lights, which is really nice,” Avril said. “It’s very much now a part of the village.”

“It brings us joy,” her husband added.

Sometimes, Chris said, he gazes outside at the once-small Christmas tree and thinks to himself: “Wow, is that really ours?”