THE BLOXIDGE TALLYGRAPH

Tip of the iceberg: Nikki Rolls, Kate Frost and Ian McDermott welcome the tree's arrival (Pictures: Stuart Williams)

Dateline: 28 November 2009

This week, the countdown to Christmas began in Bloxwich with the much-heralded arrival of a new and permanent addition to the Promenade Gardens in High Street on Monday.

Nikki Rolls of Walsall Council and Ian McDermott, the Council's Principal Arboriculturalist (tree expert) were on hand to supervise the permanent planting by skilled Council workers of a 15ft high Norwegian Spruce.  Looking on were Kate Frost, Secretary of the Friends of Bloxwich Parks, and the Edditer of The Bloxidge Tallygraph.

The tree and lights have been funded by the Bloxwich, Leamore & Blakenall Retailers Traders Partnership.

Walsall Council staff get cracking with delivery and planting of the new tree.

The tree, now located between two Lime Trees near the site of the famous Bloxwich Fountain (currently under restoration) has  been fenced and lit via a connection to the nearest lamp-post.

The arrival of the tree, which hopefully heralds a cracking Christmas for traders and Bloxwich folk alike, has been welcomed by local people including the Friends of Bloxwich Parks, who were consulted by the Partnership.

Sadly, there will be no formal Christmas lights switch-on in Bloxwich this year because of the apparent high cost of arranging this due to health and safety regulations. But the new tree's permanent planting nonetheless says much about the Partnership's and Walsall Council's positive commitment to the village - and to the festive season!

The Bloxwich tree is set to also be declared a 'Tree of Thought' in support of Macmillan Cancer Support's charity Christmas campaign, with a banner announcing this to be fixed to the fencing which will surround the tree during the period when it is lit.

Members of the public will be invited to sponsor a light on the tree by making a donation, which will not cover the cost of the lights or the tree (which are provided by the Partnership with the Council's help) but will go to support the charity's work.

Donations made in this way will be acknowledged by Macmillan Cancer Support who will send a Christmas card dedicated to a person nominated by the donor.

Apart from the tree, Christmas lights are also now decorating Bloxwich Market Square, High Street and Leamore Precinct, including in the latter case lights in the trees (funded by New Horizons).

The new Bloxwich Christmas Tree signals the long-awaited return of a decades-old and much-loved local tradition.  It also hopefully marks the beginning of a new and positive future for the village.

Earlier story link here. 

back to top