Local MP, Greg Barker, will be planting the 5000th Christmas tree at Christmas Tree Farm in Catsfield, near Battle on Friday 22 July at 3pm.
Planting of the 5000th tree is a momentous moment in the life of plantation owner, Clive Collins, who is delighted Greg accepted his invitation to join him on this special day.
Clive is a forester who worked for the Forestry Commission and after a terrible accident, he fell from a tree, realised his dream to run a Christmas Tree Farm. Despite being in a wheelchair, he is able to do a lot of the farm work himself thanks to specially adapted equipment. He employs a team of local people to help him with the other work he can’t do.
Speaking in Catsfield, Greg said “It has not been an easy road for Clive and growing Christmas trees requires a lot of physical hard work. I admire Clive’s determination to use the skills he learnt before his accident to build a successful local business which is growing year-on-year.