The Powys grower of this year’s Christmas tree outside 10 Downing Street said it was a “tremendous honour” to supply the tree.  

Stephen Reynolds, owner of Evergreen Christmas Trees based at Black House Farm near Beguildy, between Newtown and Knighton, said his visit to Downing Street on Monday, December 2, to see Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveil this year’s Christmas tree was a “surreal experience”.

The 19-foot-tall Nordmann Fir was grown on the Powys border with Shropshire and installed outside the Prime Minister’s residence in celebration of the craftsmanship of British growers as Downing Street’s Christmas lights were switched on.

Mr Reynolds said: “Supplying the tree that will stand out Number 10 is a tremendous honour. We have taken plenty of time to make sure the tree is the right one, especially knowing it will be seen and admired by so many people.

“It was a very surreal experience to walk through 10 Downing Street and be thanked by the Prime Minister for supplying the tree. But as strange as it was it was still a great experience all round.

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The business achieved the role of supplying the Downing Street tree by winning Champion Christmas Tree Grower of the Year 2024, an annual competition run by the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) since 1999.

 “We’ve entered the British Christmas Tree Growers Association every year and are delighted to have won it this year for the first time in our history. We won with a Nordmann Fir that we have been growing on our farm for at least ten years.

“They specified that the tree chosen for Downing Street needed to be a certain height and have certain amount of foliage, so a lot of thought went into selecting the right one.

“In the end we were quite pleased with how it looked as we really loved how it had been decorated. My wife and I even tried to look for similar decorations to put on our tree at home.

(Image: Simon Dewhurst)

“We’ve entered the BGTGA competition a lot but have always joked about the hassle we’d be faced with if we actually won it. Having actually done it I can say there’s a lot of organising involved, but it was definitely worth it in the end.”

The tree was unveiled as the Prime Minister and Mrs Starmer switched on the Christmas lights, before inviting guests for a reception inside 10 Downing Street.

At the ceremony the Prime Minister said: “I am delighted to be joined by public sector workers at Downing Street as the countdown to Christmas begins. 

“From firefighters, NHS staff, hospitality workers, police officers and our armed forces, it is important to remember those who are away from their families keep the country running through the festive period. On behalf of the whole country, we thank you.”