St Faith's Church Christmas Festival opens today at Gaywood

St Faith's Christmas Tree Festival starts today (Friday, December 7) with around 30 trees on show from 10am.

Taking place at St Faith's Church at Gaywood, all the trees have been decorated by local school pupils, church members and representatives of charity groups.

The real trees come from a plantation at Shouldham run by Jodie Caley of the parish council.

Tonight, the church will host its first of two festival concerts, which will be arranged by local impresario Stephen Hayter. This will include singers, dancers and musicians presenting solo items and comic sketches.

Tomorrow evening (Saturday, December 8) will be the turn of popular Castle Acre-based Big Heart and Soul Community Choir to take to the stage, starting at 7.30pm.

Tickets for each concert are £7 or £12 for both of them, and can be purchased on the door.

A coffee morning will also be held in Gaywood Church Rooms tomorrow morning, starting at 10am. Two festival hampers will be raffled.

The festival will include a stall stocked full of hand-made unusual craft goods with a particular festive theme. Senior Methodist steward, Joan Greening and her creative team have been busy over the past few months getting this made.

On Sunday, a special gift service will start at 9.45am with people invited to bring along an unwrapped gift which will later be distributed to local disadvantaged youngsters for Christmas.

Richard Parr, St Faith's deputy churchwarden and member of the festival organising team, said: "This year will be our fourth tree festival, the first being in December 2012.

"We have found that each one attracts an increasing number of visitors who just love to come into our centuries-old church on Gayton Road and see the wonderful sight of so many beautifully decorated trees, all decorated and lit. It really is a magical sight."

All proceeds from the festival go towards the ongoing running costs of St Faith's Church, located on Gayton Road. Anglicans and Methodists share the building for worship and mission.

The festival closes at 4pm on Monday.