Christmas 2008

Children visiting

It's not just once a year for Graham Gilbert. He lives in a Christmas Wonderland all year round.

He runs and owns Woods Farm in Shirley which consists of 330 acres of land containing over one million Christmas trees.

Graham supplies them to all of Birmingham and the Black Country and his customers have included Tony and Cherie Blair.

"My dad originally brought the land to train race horses," he says. "Growing Christmas trees became something of a hobby, but it really snowballed into something a lot bigger! I've been doing this now for 35 years and have lived here all my life."

Christmas Holly grows too

From here to eterni-tree

Various different types of trees grow in huge plots all over the land. When they have reached a target height, they are cut down and replaced with a new batch.

"We do about 20 different types of trees now," explains Graham. "Some of them have been hard to develop though. The Cork Bark Fur originated in the Arizona desert so the conditions here haven't been ideal!"

The woodland looks like a scene from The Chronicles of Narnia and it's hard to believe that it's just five miles away from the hustle and bustle of Birmingham.

"We supply trees to all of the Midlands and beyond," he says. "If you're out and see a tree in a city centre, arena or shopping mall, the chances are it's come from here.

Cutting down a Christmas tree

Vole drama!

"The biggest we've got are about 50 feet. They grow at the rate of a foot a year so you can work out how long it takes!

Time isn't the main obstacle facing Graham though.

"We've had a problem with voles over the last few weeks," he says. "They burrow down the base of the trees and strip the bark away!"

But nothing can stop the Christmas tradition - at peak times, Graham sells 300 trees an hour on weekends.

Wrapped trees

That festive feeling?

So does Graham feel 'Christmassy' all year round?

"Not really," he laughs. "I love growing trees but you just get used to it. Although I must admit there's something funny about looking out of your kitchen window and seeing thousands of Christmas trees – in the middle of August!

"I get asked a lot too about whether I get sad when we have to cut down a particularly old tree. But I don't! We replace every tree here at Woods Farm – it's a constant cycle."

Even if you don't want to buy a tree though, Woods Farm encourages schools and families to come down and have a walk through the acres of land, and soak in that Christmas feeling.

Measuring the trees

Everyone's welcome

"Everyone's welcome," says Graham. "We have some amazing wildlife - dozens of deers grazing here amongst all the Christmas trees is quite a sight. And it looks beautiful when it snows.

"The air here is just amazing too – with all the trees and fresh oxygen I'd wager that we're the healthiest part of the whole area!”

For more information visit: http://www.woodsfarm.com/