THE Penarth Christmas Tree festival has finally made a comeback after two years.

The festival will take place at St Augustine's Church on December 3, from 11am to 5pm and December 4, from noon to 5pm. 
Robert Court is the organiser of this year's Christmas Tree Festival.

He said: "This year we've got 40 trees and they will be placed on the side aisle. We've got all sorts of people participating in it. There are local businesses, there are school children, some local groups and individuals.

"Some of the Christmas trees are quite imaginative, they are not your ordinary Christmas tree. Some school children come up with ecological ideas.

"At the end of the day, it is a competition too. So, they get judged in various categories. We wanted to conduct this festival in the last two years but it wasn't possible. But this year people were very keen to get involved in this festival. My role is to oversee it and check that all the preparation is done."

Penarth Times:

The line up of trees inside the church
Admission to the event is £3 for adults and for children the entry is free.  There will be a variety of local music groups who will be providing seasonal entertainment. 
This year's Christmas tree festival will be judged by Amy Salisbury. Amy has produced commissioned art which can be found in hotels, offices and private homes from London to Warsaw. 
"People come and vote for their favourite tree which might be different from what the judge thinks. So, the audience has their separate say. Also, at 9.30 am we have Breakfast with Santa at the Church Hall, where children and their family have breakfast and there's Santa Claus too. After that we have an official opening of the event at 11am", says Robert. 

Penarth Times:
Councillor Rosemary Cook, of the Welsh Labour Party, is looking forward to the event.
She said: "I am delighted the Penarth Christmas Tree Festival is back. It always feels that it heralds the onset of the Christmas festivities. It is a much-loved event here in Penarth held during the first weekend in December. When visiting the church you are able to walk around to the accompaniment of beautiful music from groups and soloists. The admission price of £3 will support 3 charities, Leukaemia UK, Medicins Sans Frontieres and Ty Hafan."

Penarth Times:
Andrew Davidson runs a gardening group at the St Augustine's Church. The gardening group will be entering the Christmas Tree Festival for the first time so that's new. It is a great opportunity for people of Penarth to come together especially for people who don't come to the Church, they can definetely come to see the Christmas trees on display and vote for the tree they like.