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With 1,378 Christmas Trees, one English church has got into festive spirit early

Xinhua, December 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

The festive spirit is alive Sunday at a church in England Sunday with the building crammed with 1,378 Christmas Trees.

St Mary's Church in Melton Mowbray, in the middle England county of Leicester is thought to have set a new record with the number of trees on show.

It beat its own record, set last year, by adding an extra 124 trees this year.

Thousands of people have poured through the doors of the church since the festival started Saturday, with more crowds expected until Tuesday when the event closes.

Officials at the church describe it as the largest Christmas Tree Festival in the country.

Most are traditional Christmas trees, but there are some unusual specimens as well, such as a decorated ladder. Another is made up of miniature beds.

One tree, with a Victorian theme, also had a royal entourage to view the work. Local people dressed as Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert to add a 19th century touch to the festival.

The most poignant is dedicated to the people of the under-siege city of Aleppo in Syria. It is a plain, undecorated tree, free of glitter or baubles.

Festival organiser Ian Neal said the festival started at the church 14 years ago with just 100 trees.

Said Neal: "The event is run by a committee and a dedicated band of volunteers, who give their time to put in hours of hard work to make sure the festival is a huge success."

Parts of the church date back to the year 1170, with many parts from the 13th and 14th centuries and is described as one of the finest churches in the county of Leicestershire. Endit