IT might be one of the UK’s WORST Christmas trees as voted for in 2014, yet residents around the area are still disappointed that they aren’t getting a new tree for the fourth year running. However, should more communities follow suit?
Three years on, and the poor pine tree in Mottram, Tameside is still receiving a hurl of abuse. People of the surrounding communities have taken to local Facebook groups to express their dismay at the ‘living’ tree that was planted by Tameside council, with claims that it is an embarrassment to the village. Here’s what the people of Mottram think:
So it might be small and slightly miserable looking, but the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ comes into force here. At first glance the onlooker might not realise, but this tree is mightier and stronger than any other village Christmas tree in the UK, even better: the best Christmas tree in the UK.
Every year, millions of Christmas trees come to their end after the festivities. After being dressed in baubles, tinsel and twinkling lights, many end up in landfill sites. With a whopping 250 tonnes of Christmas tree waste each year not recycled, local councils have to pay around £80 for every tonne of waste that goes into landfill.
Tameside council do have a recycling scheme in place for old Christmas trees, but the Mottram Christmas tree acts as a friendly reminder that if you have a planted tree, you won’t have the issues every year of dealing with one when you’re finished with it that might end up in landfill.
Not only might the tree end up in landfill, but also deforestation of pine trees destroys the habitats of animals that rely on the trees to survive the winter months. This means that as a result of having a ‘living’ tree, the community of Mottram has saved the lives and habitats of animals such as owls, deer and rabbits struggling during the cold winter months.
And even if it is dubbed ‘the worst Christmas tree in the UK’ with its miserable branches and sad looking demeanour, it brings the community together every year to try and spruce it up with fairy lights and baubles; a tree bringing communities together probably doesn’t happen in many other places elsewhere.
Whilst it might look admittedly sad and disappointing the eye, the tree has many more underlying and positive message than any other Christmas tree in the UK, in fact, it might even be the best tree in the UK.
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