Volunteers add sparkle to Herne Bay's infamous Christmas tree
by Gerry Warren
Volunteers have stepped in to spruce up Herne Bay’s infamous
Christmas tree after it was ridiculed for being the worst in
Britain.
They got together to give the fir some much-needed sparkle with
tinsel and decorations following outcry over its "disgusting"
appearance.
People were left fuming and even booed when the original tree
was unveiled last month in front of a 1,000-strong crowd.
But locals were left even more furious when the council decided
to replace the tree with another that "looks even worse".
The revamp group was led by dad and local firefighter Steve
Enwright, who said the town had suffered as a result of the
negative publicity.
He said: "I was a bit disappointed with the stick Herne Bay got
so decided to try and do something about it."
In just five days, he managed to recruit a team of supporters
and the help of local businesses and Serco staff to transform the
17ft tree.
Grace Walker, five, lends
a hand with the decorations in Herne Bay
He said: "Homebase, the Co-op and Canterbury Garden Centre all
provided decorations and I have to say the two guys from Serco who
arrived with all the equipment to make sure it was safe were
brilliant.
"I've got kids and really enjoy getting into the Christmas
spirit and just decided to see if it could be improved.
"I got help from another local resident, Kim Walker, who did a
lot of chasing around, and a couple of friends as well as the
coastal towns manager Chris West who helped get Serco on
board."
Workers putting new
lights on Herne Bay’s original Christmas tree (left) – before it
was replaced with a tree that "looked even worse"
Mr Enwright said: "It looks a lot better now and we even had a
singer come along to help celebrate on Sunday morning.
"We don’t want to be in this position next Christmas so I am
organising a meeting at the angling club to try and plan ahead for
next year."
13/12/12
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