Thousands enjoyed St Conan’s Kirk Christmas Tree Festival over the weekend.
Sunday alone brought in 2,700 visitors who descended on the historic Lochawe church to see more than 70 trees on show.
The event raised more than £10,000 to go towards match funding for the Kirk’s recent National Lottery Heritage Fund award and its community projects.
Liz MacKay from friends of St Conan’s said: “We had very positive feedback about all the wonderful, creative, inventive trees. We can’t believe we had 73. The imagination and skill of such a great cross section of the community is just incredible.
“This year we decorated a little more than usual: visitors thought the entrance was really lovely. For the first time, we had controlled access to the crypt during the festival. A lot of ‘wows!’ were heard as visitors caught their first glimpse of the snowy forest we had made amongst the columns and arches.
“Everyone really seemed to enjoy their visit. It was a truly feel-good experience for everyone involved.”
The winning tree was Christmas at the Castle from Dunollie. In second place was the Swan Tree by Lochnell Primary School and in third position was another lovely dress-style tree from the Artisan Cafe in Tyndrum.
Also popular was Glencruitten Hostel’s Christmas Island, Oban Sportif’s Bicycle Wheel tree and Hope Kitchen’s Boxes of Hope.
Caption: Dunollie’s Christmas At The Castle tree designed like a dress was the winning entry at this year’s St Conan’s Kirk Christmas Tree Festival.
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