As Storm Darragh sweeps across Dorset, organisers of the Purbeck Christmas tree festival are grateful their festive event is taking place in the warm and dry of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Swanage.
With a Yellow weather warning in place, outdoor events including the Swanage Christmas Market and the Swanage Pier lights switch-on have been postponed, but the Christmas tree festival is carrying on indoors, providing a festive fix and raising money for local charities.
A selection of the 40 fantastic trees welcoming visitors at Emmanuel Baptist Church
Open regardless of the weather
Organisers of the Purbeck Christmas tree festival wanted to reassure everyone that they would still be open throughout Saturday 7th December 2024 regardless of the weather – and could end up with a bumper crowd as other events drop off the calendar.
Featuring 40 Christmas trees sponsored by Purbeck charities, churches and schools and decorated with handmade and inventive ornaments, the festival has transformed Emmanuel Baptist Church in Victoria Avenue into a winter wonderland.
Free to attend and with free onsite parking, donations are being collected at the festival to support the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and the Purbeck Admiral Nurse for Dementia Care charities.
There’s a programme of live festive music throughout the day with the Ukuladies, AllSort’d choir and a singalong session on Saturday, while many other local groups have performed since the festival opened on Thursday 5th December 2024.
Organiser Judy Forgan with the Tools With A Mission tree
A novel way to trim the tree – with glittery shuttlecocks
“Lucky to have so many volunteers”
Festival organiser Judy Forgan said:
“We feel very blessed that so many people join in with our festival from the wider Purbeck community, with trees, singers and musicians from Worth Matravers, Wareham, Sandford and Wool – it’s an event which brings all the villages and towns together.
“I originally set up the festival after seeing something similar in Westbourne and thinking it would be perfect in a rural village setting, to raise money for the Julia’s House hospice, but mainly so that local businesses and charities could raise their profile by sponsoring a tree.
“It started life in Kingston Church but quickly got bigger and bigger each year so that by 2014 we didn’t really have the space or manpower to carry on there and we looked for somewhere larger.
“We have now become established at the Emmanuel Baptist Church and are so lucky to have many wonderful volunteers here.
“Recruiting enough people to set up a big festival like this isn’t easy, as it takes several days to get ready, not to mention catering for all our visitors over several days – we just couldn’t manage without them!”
Handmade shepherd decorations reflect on the first Christmas
In the RNLI’s 200th anniversary year, it’s fitting that one of the lifeboat crew is at the top of the tree
A different theme every year
Judy Forgan added:
“We have a different theme every year – in the past it has been based around favourite Christmas songs, and Christmas traditions, and this year it is all to do with Christmas past.
“A lot of the decorations are hand made and we know that many hours are put into making the trees look so splendid. Our local groups show so much creativity and innovation – it is amazing!
“We provide white lights for the trees, making sure that we steer away from coloured or flashing lights so that we don’t detract from the simple beauty of hand decorated trees like we remember from our childhood.
“We are very grateful to everyone who takes part because without the singers, without the sponsors and without the people who create the wonderful tree ornaments it wouldn’t be such a perfect festival.”
Emmanuel Baptist’s nativity scene is ready for visitors to dress up and enter the stable
The Swanage Fish and Food Festival is looking forward to warmer months with its Christmas tree decorations
Stable and nativity scene
Musicians and performers who have entertained at this year’s festival include Harmony Rocks, Swanage Ukuleles, Swanage Handbells group, Singing for Pleasure choir, Karen G, Herston Junior singers, Anne and Sandra, Wareham Recorder Consort, local Vocals and the Belvedere Singers.
The festival’s 40 Christmas tree sponsors include Communicare who are looking for more volunteers to carry on their good work in Purbeck, Tools With A Mission which refurbishes unwanted tools to send to Africa, and Swanage Food Bank which always needs donations, especially at Christmas.
Groups like the Swanage Fish and Food Festival and Swanage Carnival use their trees to publicise events in 2025, while Swanage, St Mark’s and St Mary’s primary schools, and clubs including Nutty Knitters, Swanage Badminton Club, Swanage Swim Group and Slimming World also join in the fun.
Little Birds, EBC and Cygnets preschool groups have also attended the event for Christmas stories and songs amongst the trees, a stable and nativity scene have been set up inside the church with a vast array of nativity dressing up clothes for visitors, and a large spread of cakes and mince pies have been baked by volunteers.
Communicare is raising awareness on its 40th anniversary, and looking for new volunteer drivers
Yellow and blue symbols of peace on the Connect Ukraine tree
Harmony Rocks hit all the right notes with its decorations
Full lineup of Christmas tree sponsors
The full line-up of Christmas tree decorators is: AllSort’d, Clifftop Care Home, Belvedere Singers, Dementia Friendly, Mowlem Theatre, Swanage Railway Herston Halt, Swanage Badminton Club, Swanage Carnival, Cygnets Preschool and Communicare.
National Coastwatch Institute, Connect Ukraine, St Mary’s Friday Fun Club, Swanage Community Defib, Out of the Blue, Nutty Knitters, Lewis Manning Hospice, EBC Kids, Prayer Tree and Remembering Leslie Osbourne.
Swanage Primary School, EBC Tots, Slimming World, Girl Guiding Swanage, Little Birds Preschool, Christian Aid, Swanage Quakers, Suttles Stone Quarries, Harmony Rocks and St Mary’s Catholic primary school.
Swanage Swim Group, The Swanage School, Tools with a Mission, The Bible Society, St Mark’s Church and School, Swanage and Purbeck Rotary, Swanage Fish and Food Festival, Swanage Food Bank, Swanage Methodist Church and Swanage Lifeboat Station.
The tree of remembrance outside Emmanuel Baptist Church will be full of ribbons by Christmas Day
An advent wreath marks the start of the Christmas season
A star for the Dementia Friendly Christmas tree
Festival ends with lights of love
Although the festival officially ends at 6 pm on Saturday 7th December 2024, there will still be some trees in the church for the Lights of Love service at 4 pm on Sunday 8th December 2024.
This is a quiet, reflective service, led by Reverend David Norley, for people who have lost friends and family during the year, where people light candles and add ribbons personalised with messages to their loved ones to the tree of remembrance outside the church.
There is also a Carols by Candlelight service at Emmanuel Baptist Church at 6.30 pm on Monday 23rd December 2024 and a Christmas Day service for all at 10 am on 25th December 2024.
More photos
Swanage Swim Group is doubtless looking forward to the annual Boxing Day swim
A fitting nautical decoration from Swanage Coastwatch
Suttles Quarries has entered a tree every year since the festival began
The Singing For Pleasure choir entertained visitors with carols and festive songs
Karen G admired the Swanage Community Defib tree during her set
Merry Christmas from Swanage Slimming World!
Conducting the choirs in perfect harmony at the Purbeck Christmas Tree Festival
