Brighton council reveals community Christmas tree plans

All 23 council wards have been gifted a Christmas tree to help "communities come together to celebrate" as speculation grew over what Brighton would be doing to ring in the festive season.

While decorations in the city are usually only in the centre, such as North Street and Western Road, councillors hope this will encourage residents to take part in the festivities within their own communities.

Council leader for tourism and culture Alan Robins said: "We’re working on a wonderful scheme to have a community Christmas tree put up in each of the 23 council wards across the city in time for Christmas.

An early morning walker enjoys the Brighton Palace Pier Christmas Tree before the sun rises on Christmas Day 2018 (Image: Simon Dack)

“This is a great way to foster community spirit, and I really hope local schools will get involved in creating decorations for their local trees.

“We’ve asked councillors in every ward to consult with local people about where they would like their trees to be placed. Some might end up being indoors, others outdoors."

Sussex Christmas Trees has donated 23 trees to the council - and they need your help to work out where to put them (Image: Public Domain)

The trees are being donated by Sussex Christmas Trees. The tree farm spotted a plea from Brighton and Hove City Council for the public to share ideas on how to celebrate the season - after it was announced the Christmas market would not be making a return to Valley Gardens.

Director of Sussex Christmas Trees Will Kidger said: "We got in touch to say that as a local Christmas tree grower we would love to get involved in some way.

"The council approached us more recently with the idea of providing a tree for each of the wards, for each community to enjoy, and we thought it was a fantastic idea."

Read more: New 'community-led' Christmas market planned by council 

Councillors have reached out to their communities to find the best spot for the trees, with Westdene and Hove Park councillor Ivan Lyons saying there is "no shortage of suggestions" in his ward.

"People have suggested putting it in a park, but also places like Patcham Roundabout to welcome them into the city and put a smile on their faces. People celebrate the switch on of the Palmeira Square Christmas lights (Image: Terry Applin / The Argus)

"Hopefully it will foster community spirit whether one celebrates Christmas or not. Who doesn't like twinky lights in December?" he said.

"It is nice to spread a bit of joy around the whole city and places where people wouldn't normally go.

"Hopefully there can be a Christmas tree map linking all 23 so people can go and tick them off while helping businesses as they spend a few quid in shops along the way."