Fenland town's wonky Christmas tree wish comes true

4 days ago 1

John Devine/BBC A 9m (30ft) Christmas tree, lush and green and leaning slightly to the left. There are shops behind it and the March town war memorial to the left, complete with many red poppy wreaths. A black car is in the foreground, driving along Broad Street

A Cambridgeshire market town which became the centre of a global news story about its wonky Christmas tree last year has had this year's delivered – and it is a wonky one again.

March Town Council said it had been inundated with requests to try to replicate the "banana" shaped tree this year, and so it had asked its suppliers for one.

Sarah Lemmon, the clerk of the council, said the supplier told her it could not make any promises.

But Christmas came early for fans of wonky trees when this year's leaning one was unveiled on the recently pedestrianised Broad Street.

John Devine/BBC A 9m (30ft) Christmas tree which is leaning to the right in the Market Square, March. Shops are behind it and large decorations hang across the road in front of it

"I loved it last year. It was very 'March', so quirky," said 29-year-old Emily Parkes.

"I hope it is now a tradition. I want to try to get a slice of the old one. It's a piece of history now."

John Devine/BBC Emily Parkes has long red and purple hair over her shoulders. Her rucksack straps are visible. She has a piercing under her nose and is wearing spectacles. Behind her is a taped-off area where workmen are shaping the bottom of the trunk of the Christmas tree, which is lying on the pavement

John Devine/BBC Paul Hicks has short grey hair with a grey beard and moustache and appears to be using his right arm to keep the leaning tree upright. He is wearing a grey overcoat with a white shirt underneath, with the collar up. Behind him is the leaning tree, with netting on it and a man in an orange hi-vis jacket and hard hat pulling the netting off

Fenland District Council member Paul Hicks said he thought it was "absolutely brilliant" to have another wonky tree.

"It put March on the map last year. We had tourists, [and] shops made T-shirts and greetings cards celebrating the leaning tree," he said.

"It boosted the local economy and I'm chuffed to see we have another one."

John Devine/BBC Daniel Fortuna has red hair and a beard with a moustache. He has a black T-shirt and a hi-vis orange tabard. Behind him is the bottom section of the Christmas tree, which is leaning slightly to the right. There are flagpoles and part of the town's war memorial on the right, with shops in the background

Daniel Fortuna is a tree specialist from March who has been responsible for putting up the town's Christmas trees for the last two years.

"It was unusual for me to have around 20 people watching the operation today. Last year, there were only two," he said.

"The council requested a wonky tree, and it definitely has got a lean."