Village's Christmas tree gains fame, earns thousands for charity

Fireworks go off at the annual switch-on event. (Image: Avril Rowlands)

Sun, 22 Dec 2024

By Sydney PageWhen Avril and Chris Rowlands moved into their home in a small village in Britain in 1978, they planted a Christmas tree on their front lawn.It was about 1.8m tall when they planted it. Now, 46 years later, it’s more than 15m tall, towering over the area and becoming a tourist attraction with its own Google reviews. (The tree has a five-star rating with 25 reviews.)“We had no idea it would end up quite a big deal,” said Avril Rowlands, 79.She and her husband got the idea to plant the tree when they first moved fr...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.
Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Markets Market Close

NZ sharemarket braces for Trump's 'Liberation Day'

The S&P/NZX 50 Index closed at 12,320.19, up 7.59 points or 0.062%.

Graham Skellern 6:10pm

Economy

What Willis was told ahead of Orr’s shock resignation

Documents released under the OIA shed some light on what happened.

Staff reporters 3:20pm

What Willis was told ahead of Orr’s shock resignation

Infrastructure

KiwiRail reveals $8m cost of McKinsey contract

Rail Minister Winston Peters calls it an unacceptable payment.

Oliver Lewis 2:40pm

KiwiRail reveals $8m cost of McKinsey contract

Sponsored

New life in property market

Tax rule changes are bringing back mum-and-dad investors.

Fletcher Living

Sponsored

Commercial property trends: AI, sustainability and growing confidence

Falling rates and green tech shape property investment’s future.

PMG

More World

Technology

X and xAI megdeal breaks Wall Street’s rulebook

The merger is still raising dealmakers' eyebrows.

The Wall Street Journal 9:00am

News in Brief

Canadian company buys majority stake in Serato for $116.9m

Canadian technology holding company Tiny has announced a 66% acquisition of DJ software company Serato for US$66 million (NZ$116.9m).Tiny has agreed to acquire the majority stake in Serato, payable through a combination of cash and Class A common shares. The deal valued the compa...

Staff reporters 01 Apr 2025