Artificial Poole town Christmas tree draws mixed response (From Bournemouth Echo)

Artificial Poole town Christmas tree draws mixed response

9:51am Friday 27th November 2009

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POOLE’S town centre bosses have mounted a robust defence of the giant artificial tree in Falkland Square.

The tree – fashioned from a metal frame covered with plastic “needles” and decorated with LED lights – has drawn a mixed response from shoppers and nearby businesses.

But town centre manager, Richard Randle-Jones, said the tree was transformed in darkness and a festive spectacle to match those in other towns.

“People need to go and see it at night to give it a fair chance. Then it looks like any other tree. It’s brightly lit with hundreds of lights. It’s the best looking tree at night time in the area,” said Mr Randle-Jones.

Efforts to comply with health and safety considerations for fir trees had drawn complaints from the public in previous years, he said.

“We are a coastal location with very specific guidelines. They said we must use guy ropes and protect the guy ropes with hoardings. We have come up with a safe solution and still have a tree in Falkland Square.

“Never before have people been able to get so close to the tree. We have seen children hug it because they love it,” said Mr Randle-Jones.

He stressed that the town centre management board and sponsors had met the tree’s £14,000 cost.

Shoppers in Falkland Square were less convinced of the tree’s merits, with most expressing a preference for a genuine fir tree.

Chas Rowling, 49, a library manager, said: “It looks like a speckled carpet. It’s certainly not the most natural looking tree, but it is practical, unless there’s a strong wind and it takes off.”

IT worker Martin Wright described the conical structure as “a metal frame with some astro turf,” but bank worker, Jackie Baugi, 46, said it was “artistic” and eco-friendly.

Staff in nearby G&T’s had mixed views.

Cashier, Lisa Terry, said the tree looked “modern” and “different” while sales assistant, Martin Hain described its appearance as “ridiculous”.

Ben Sime, at Games Workshop, said the tree resembled an inverted cone, while Trish Glover from the Poole Music Centre said it looked like “a wizard’s hat, a dunce’s cap, or a cone pinched from the road works.”

All agreed that the tree’s appearance dramatically improved at night.

Poole council said funding considerations had ruled out a Christmas tree for The George roundabout. The roundabout’s existing trees will be decorated with lights.

A tree will be put up outside the civic centre over the next few days with town mayor, Cllr Charles Meachin, switching on the lights at a “light up a life” service led by Poole hospital chaplain, Canon Jane Lloyd, to back the Forest Holme hospice.

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IonPool, Upton says...
10:23am Fri 27 Nov 09

I really don't know what the fuss is..in 1974 Basingstoke had a strange rhombus as their decoration.