Christmas Tree Festival at St Clements this weekend

A WINTER Wonderland will be the theme of this year’s Christmas Tree Festival at St Clement’s Church in Hastings Old Town, and in mid December there will be a classical concert at All Saints. Text by Lynda Foy, photos by Colin Foy.

The Christmas Tree Festival, organised by the Two Towers Trust to raise funds for maintaining St Clements and All Saints, the Old Town’s two medieval churches, will be open from 11am to 3pm on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December.

Organiser Rosemary Smith said the decorated trees will include entries by individuals, some local and church organisations, and some sponsored by businesses.

The annual Christmas Fair at St Clement’s on Saturday 18 November raised about £1,500 for church funds.

The festive theme continues on Friday 15 December, when Soundwaves Community Choir presents a classical concert at All Saints’ Church called Ding Dong Merrily.

Sparkling trees at last years’ festival.

The concert starts at 7.30pm and will feature classical music and traditional Christmas carols, plus opera soloist Suzannah Appleyard.

The Two Towers Handbell Ringers will return by popular request and the evening will be rounded off by musical director Debbie Warren, Oscar Smith on piano and Malcolm Lock on the church’s 1838 Father Willis organ.

Soft drinks and mince pies will be available in the interval for a small donation. Entry is free but donations can be given on behalf of the Education Training Consortium, Hastings, which trains disadvantaged people.

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