During autumn 2021, the OpenSpace Trust was approached by Aberdeen City Council to seek help with organising and running a Christmas tree festival for Christmas 2021. We were pleased to agree.

In total 14 different organisations agreed to decorate a tree. Each was given the name of a carol to ‘inspire’ them – some were more challenging than others! Great ingenuity was used both in the way the carols were interpreted but also in the way this was brought to life in the decorations created. Some were highly topical such as using facemasks to make angels! The trees were displayed in Drum’s Aisle at the Kirk of St Nicholas on the three Saturdays in December prior to Christmas. The weather did not cooperate! It was cold and (very) wet each day, but a good number of people did brave the elements and many expressed their pleasure and appreciation of the event. For a ‘first try’ it was encouraging and already suggestions for ‘bigger and better’ in 2022 is being talked about.

We have individual photographs of each tree as well as some more general views (although lighting was rather inadequate for these). Only a selection of these can be shown here, but our thanks go to everyone who decorated a tree and who came along to enjoy the results. The following organisations participated:

Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen Inspired

Aberdeen Performing Arts

Burgesses of the City of Aberdeen

Disability Equality Partnership

Ferryhill School

Gilcomstoun School

Hanover Street School

OpenSpace Trust

Robert Gordon’s College

Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen

Skene Square School

St Joseph’s RC School

Voluntary Service Aberdeen

We also record our thanks to two other organisations: Aberdeen Inspired who agreed to meet the costs and the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland for making Drum’s Aisle available. Watch out for the Christmas tree festival 2022!

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