PENARTH’S 2010 town centre Christmas tree has been donated by a local resident - 20 years after he planted it!

Edward Haise, of Salop Street, started growing the tree when he was 12 and has been nurturing it ever since.

“I loved Christmas trees as a kid and wanted one in my bedroom,” explained Edward.

“It was just a seed in a pot on my windowsill to start with, but it was soon too big to keep in my room and because we didn’t want to throw it away, we planted it in the garden.”

Edward said he forgot about the tree, which required very little maintenance, as he got older - until one year when he returned from university to find it had outgrown him.

“It became a bit of a joke within the family,” he said.

“My parents loved having it as much as I did and we started decorating it each year.

“Eventually it was filling the entire garden, and pushing up against my dad’s shed.”

The 32-year-old decided to donate the tree, grown largely at his parents’ house in Cyncoed, Cardiff, to Penarth - the town where he was born - after it became too big for the family garden.

“We couldn’t keep it any longer because it was still growing and was already taller than the house!” he said.

And despite being sad to see the tree go after so long, he is ‘very proud’ to have it on Windsor Road roundabout, as the focal point of the town’s Christmas festival.

“I wanted Penarth to have the tree because a lot of my childhood was spent here and I live here again now,” added Edward.

“I’m chuffed to see it in the town centre – although it was hard to watch it get chopped down.”

Council workmen erected the tree last week and decorated the town with festive lights, ready for the Christmas Festival and official switch-on this Sunday (November 28).