Festival Place celebrated its roots in the community by inviting local schools to join its Crafty Christmas Communitree project. 

The Basingstoke shopping centre invited schools and nurseries to decorate a series of life-size cardboard Christmas trees, which will be displayed at the centre throughout the festive season. 

Schools taking part included Chalk Ridge Primary, Kempshott Infant, Sherborne St John Primary, Dove House Secondary, Queen Mary’s College, Bishopswood Infant and junior, Little Learners Playgroup, Daisy Nursery, and The Hurst Secondary School. 

Events and community manager Sian Fisher said: “This Christmas, we want to really celebrate our community, and are extremely excited to have been able to offer our local schools the opportunity to take part in our Crafty Christmas Communitree project. 

“We love handmade and crafting and want to help families create magical memories on a shoestring. 

“We are also moving towards a more sustainable Christmas, so we are planning to decorate the shopping centre with cardboard Christmas trees decorated by local school pupils.

“The finished trees will become part of a stunning community art project at Festival Place this Christmas as they are placed in a wintery glade of Communitrees.”

Participating schools were provided with a free crafting kit, which included a cardboard tree, a design guide, and all the materials needed to decorate the trees.