Stamford and District Lions Christmas tree festival opens at St John's Church, Stamford
Puppies, pantomime characters and the town mayor helped to open a charity Christmas tree festival.
A ribbon was untied - reusing a previously cut one - by mayor of Stamford Andrew Croft on Friday (November 24), marking the opening of the festival in St John's Church, Stamford which is running alongside the Cards for Good Causes shop.
The event, organised by Stamford and District Lions, features more than 40 trees which are from Digby Farm in North Luffenham and individually decorated by businesses and organisations in the town.
Gill Clarke, president of the club, was excited to see the festival open.
“It is absolutely wonderful,” she said.
“I think it lifts spirits, gets people into the mood for Christmas and brings everyone together.
“We have had a fantastic amount of entries - we were actually struggling for space.”
Performers from Stamford Pantomime Players attended including Poppy Brewster as Aladdin and Emily Hayles as the Spirit of the Ring, as well as Andrew Cleaver who was dressed as Henry VIII.
There were also puppies from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the chosen charity which will be receiving the donations from the Christmas tree festival.
Sheila Browne, a puppy socialiser, attended with Morris, a young dog in training.
“We are always looking for volunteers whether that’s full time or holiday cover, or people who want to get involved with fundraising,” she said.
The festival will be open everyday between 9.30am to 4.30pm until Monday, December 11.