Residents of Monkton donate up to £250 to get a Christmas tree for the centre of their village

For years, people living in Monkton have had one simple Christmas wish, to have a festive tree for the centre of their small village.

In order to get the Christmas tree they’ve always wanted, the village set up fundraisers in local pub the Lord Nelson to raise the money they needed, however, it was the generosity of the residents that made this Christmas wish come true, as some people made donations from £50 to £250.

Two local villagers Jimmy Dunnet and Tom Powell, donated the tree and local engineering firm A H Engineering provided the Christmas lights.

The money raised by fundraising efforts paid for Balfour Beatty a infrastructure group to install a power outlet and local residents pulled out all the stops to put the tree up despite gale force winds that swept the North East.

Chairman of the Monkton Village Association, Gerry Fionda, said: “The Monkton Village Association has wanted to put up a tree at the centre of the Village for a number of years and thanks to the efforts and commitment of locals we’ve been able to do it this year.

“It cheers the Village up and makes it better for residents.”

Residents are known to take great pride in their neighbourhood, picking up litter and cleaning up flower beds. In November, they won a silver award from the RHS that celebrates those who have made outstanding contributions to horticulture and gardening.