With only a few weeks to go until Christmas, Grimsby is welcoming its 28-foot-tall tree to the town centre.
Taking pride of place in St James’ Square, this year’s stunning tree is a Nordmann Fir grown locally by Strawson Woodland at their plantation near Louth.
This was made possible through a generous donation made by North East Lincolnshire Council’s waste management contractor, Newlincs Development Ltd.
Newlincs Development operate the energy from waste plant at Stallingborough and the community recycling centres in Grimsby and Immingham.
Operations director Sharon Hunt said:
“At Newlincs we love Christmas and we’re thrilled to be donating a fabulous Christmas tree for Grimsby town centre this year.
“Our award-winning staff at the Grimsby and Immingham Community Recycling Centres will be pulling all the stops out again this year with their salvaged and upcycled tip decorations.
“Their efforts help raise thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes, we’re grateful to everyone who visits and makes a donation.
“We hope we can help spread some Christmas cheer around Grimsby town centre this festive season with this wonderful tree. Merry Christmas everybody!”
Cllr Tom Furneaux, portfolio holder for Culture, Heritage and the Visitor Economy, said:
“From the arrival of the town’s special Christmas tree to the festive weekend of events, there’s plenty to be excited about in Grimsby this Christmas.
“It was important to us to source a locally grown tree to help reduce travel time and costs.
“We’re investing millions-of-pounds to transform the town centre into a vibrant, attractive and healthy place to work and visit.
“We have a lot to look forward to in months ahead as we make long-lasting, positive change for future generations.”
Grimsby’s Christmas tree arrives in time for the Fabulously Festive Weekender in the town centre from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 November.
The tree was put up on Monday morning, 21 November, by contractors McCann and staff from the Council’s grounds maintenance team. It will be decorated later in the week.
Lights on the tree will be lit during a Community Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at 6:30pm on Friday in St James’ Square.
There will be performances from All For One Choir, East Coast Elite band and a blessing from the Minster’s vicar, Father Chris Hewitt.
The packed weekend of events also includes a Christmas market featuring seasonal crafts and gifts inside and around Grimsby Minster along with delicious food stalls on Friday and Saturday. There will be colourful and lively entertainment throughout the weekend, including stilt walkers, performance acts and live music as well as further festive fun at Top Town Market and in Freshney Place.
During the weekend, visitors can see Gaia, the stunning Earth installation by Luke Jerram, currently on display at Grimsby Minster. Gaia exhibition times are Friday: 10am to 8pm; Saturday: 10am to 4pm; and Sunday 1pm to 5pm. (You can book tickets in advance, but if you don’t manage to get a slot, you’ll be able to join a queue).
For more details and to book tickets to see Gaia, visit www.discovernortheastlincolnshire.co.uk/christmasingrimsby/
Traditionally, the people of Sortland in Norway would generously gift a tree to the town of Grimsby but growing conditions in recent years meant that it was harder to find a suitable tree to be shipped here.
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