Biggest ever cathedral Christmas tree festival

Worcester Cathedral has opened its biggest ever Christmas tree festival, and is expecting to attract 70,000 visitors over the next month to see more than 250 trees.

Director of events Sam Poursain said the festival had 100 more trees than the previous year, and had expanded out into a marquee on College Green.

One of the biggest fundraising events of the year for the cathedral, the festival was also a chance to publicise the groups decorating the trees, he added.

This year there are also 50 miniature dedication trees in the building's Chapter House, where people can pause to remember those they have lost.

"We realised there's a real interest and a real need for people to remember lost loved ones at Christmas," Mr Poursain said.

The Christmas tree festival has become an annual event, with displays decorated by local schools, charities, businesses and other organisations.

The director said they were expecting to welcome about 10,000 more visitors than they did last Christmas.

Mother and daughter Jaqueline and Lorraine Robinson visited the festival for the first time this year.

Lorraine said: "I think its amazing, I can't believe there's so many trees and they're all done so beautifully."

"It makes you feel very Christmassy," she added.

Dave Rogerson from Tewkesbury was making his second visit and said the display was "really impressive".

He described the decorated trees were "works of art".

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