A soft glow of festive lights, the scent of pine and the sound of children’s voices filled Wainfleet Methodist Church as its much-loved Christmas Tree Festival returned, welcoming visitors from across the town and surrounding villages.

The festival opened on December 5 with a joyful visit from Shining Stars Nursery, whose children sang festive songs, played instruments and explored the beautifully decorated church. Their visit set the tone for a weekend described by organisers as peaceful, relaxed and full of community spirit.

This year’s festival featured only real Christmas trees, each one uniquely decorated by local businesses, community groups and schools. New contributors included a hairdressers, a salvage yard, young farmers and the Wainfleet Theatre Group, alongside familiar supporters. Wainfleet Town Council decorated the large tree in the church garden, adding to the festive welcome.

Children from every year group at the local school also decorated trees, along with Shining Stars Nursery. Reception and nursery children created rooted trees, which will now be donated to their school gardens. Visitors were invited to vote for their favourite trees, with prizes kindly donated by Mark the Butchers in Wainfleet for the children’s winner and by Ricky, the Wainfleet postmaster, for the adult category.

The annual tree festival was held at Wainfleet Methodist Church.

placeholder image — The annual tree festival was held at Wainfleet Methodist Church.

One particularly moving feature was the memory tree, decorated by Parkers Funeral Directors, where people were invited to hang a star in remembrance of loved ones. Among those helping to decorate it were Daphne and Mavis Spence and Dorren Horn.

Throughout the weekend, visitors enjoyed hot drinks, mince pies and cakes, with homemade soup proving especially popular on Saturday.

The festival comes as Wainfleet Methodist Church also prepares to host one of the free community meals supported by the Skegness Standard, taking place next week. A similar free meal will also be held at The Storehouse in Skegness, both now run by dedicated teams of volunteers offering warmth, food and companionship to those who need it most this Christmas.

Wainfleet Methodist Church and Community Centre thanked everyone who visited and supported the festival, describing it as a reminder of the power of community at this special time of year.