How lovely are your branches?
Thame Town Council are starting to get into the Christmas spirit, and to celebrate we went off to Christmas Common to pick out our Christmas tree! The tree will be proudly placed outside the Town Hall on Monday 27 November, ready for the light switch on which is taking place on Friday 1 December. Luckily, we were joined by Annabel, ASM Auto Recycling’s Environmental and Sustainability Co- Ordinator, as ASM are very kindly sponsoring the Christmas tree again this year!
As we were driving along the bumpy terrain, in the back of a Land Rover with the team from The Tree Barn, we were able to ask Annabel some Christmassy questions!
ASM have always been a wonderful sponsor for events in Thame, why is the sense of community so important to you?
Community has always been a big part of our ethos; we are a family owned and run business with lots of our team living in Thame and the local area, so community is pivotal to who we are. We always look for ways to build a sense of togetherness in Thame, whether that be through taking part in local events or sponsorship. We are a community ourselves at ASM and you can really feel the pride of the team when we chat about the community and charity projects that we are involved in.
Why does ASM like to sponsor the tree each year?
The tree is an iconic feature in town over Christmas, and it brings so much joy to people of all ages! It is about giving something to the community of Thame. I love the sense of friendship and solidarity in Thame, especially over the Christmas period. By providing the tree in Thame, we feel that we are playing a small part of bringing families and friends together to kick-off the festivities in town. ASM understand that it is equally important to support social and environmental sustainability. Christmas is a special time of year that brings people together, but we don’t want to do more harm to the environment in the process.
Our friends at The Tree Barn are very aware of this and with increasing environmental awareness, many of us are looking to make ‘greener’ choices in day to day living, and this may include your Christmas tree. They highlight the importance of disposing of your tree in a climate-friendly way by composting your tree. The Tree Barn is a designated district council Christmas Tree drop off point. After Christmas you can drop your tree off at The Tree Barn and it will be collected by the council for composting. The Thame Christmas tree will be recycled in this way and we encourage the Thame community to do the same with theirs.
For more information on The Tree Barn’s sustainability ethos and information about composting your tree, post Christmas, please follow this link to their website – The Tree Barn, Christmas Common – learn how to care for your tree and for Christmas tree recycling information, please follow this link – The Tree Barn, Christmas Common – learn how to care for your tree
For specific information on composting your Christmas tree, please visit your local council website – Christmas Tree collections – South Oxfordshire District Council (southoxon.gov.uk)
For information on the environmental impacts of Christmas trees, you can research further through these interesting articles from ONETREEPLANTED Real vs. Fake Christmas Trees: Which is Better For the Environment? – One Tree Planted and The Nature Conservancy Real vs. Fake—Which Christmas tree is better for the environment? (nature.org)
As pictured above, we selected a wonderful tree, and we cannot wait to see you all on Friday 1 December. Look out for Christmas leaflets available soon, which features all the festive events happening in Thame.
Once again, we would like to thank Annabel, and ASM for helping us make Christmas in Thame the most wonderful time of the year.