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The Welsh Christmas tree picked for Downing Street

BBC Stephen Reynolds wearing a red sweatshirt and stood beside the Christmas tree which was being grown for Downing StreetBBC
Stephen Reynolds started growing Christmas trees on his family farm in mid Wales in 1992

The grand Christmas tree standing pride of place on Downing Street this year was grown at an award-winning Welsh farm.

Evergreen Christmas Trees, based in Knighton, Powys, won the role of supplying the tree, which stands outside the prime minister’s residence, after being crowned champion Christmas tree grower of the year by the British Christmas Tree Growers’ Association.

The Nordmann fir stands 18ft (5.5 metres) tall and the farm has been growing it for more than 10 years.

“To keep that momentum, it tests you,” said Stephen Reynolds, who founded the Christmas trees company.

He said the win made him feel it was “worth the risk” of starting the enterprise on his family farm.

Downing Street The grand Downing Street tree adorned with decorations, outside the front door of 10 Downing Street, where Sir Keir Starmer and his wife are stoodDowning Street
The Downing Street Christmas tree made the journey from Wales for its unveiling on Monday

Mr Reynolds started growing Christmas trees on Black House Farm in 1992.

He said getting started in this field was more difficult than he initially expected.

“The first crop didn’t go as I intended.

“They say the first crop is down to experience and to go a second time took quite a lot of courage but we did, and thankfully it’s been quite a big part of the farm now.”

He added his Christmas trees were now also part of the wider local community, many of whom helped with harvesting.

“When I was young, it used to be the hay harvest and people would get together to help get the harvest in but with more mechanisation, that’s stopped now,” he said.

“But with Christmas trees, it's quite a manual task and a lot of local farmers and contractors have become part of the team and they always come, come rain or shine, to help me out.

“Everyone here takes great pride in the fact that we have won this competition.”

Phil Fourie, farm manager, led the team which grew the tree for Downing Street.

“We planted the tree as a very small seedling which was about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) big. As it grows, you have to do quite a lot of work with it,” he said.

“You prune it twice a year and fertilise it and then look after the tree until it’s ready to cut.”

A tractor piled with Christmas trees wrapped in mesh
Evergreen Christmas Trees have provided the tree which stands on Downing Street this year

Mr Fourie said monitoring the environment on the farm was really important.

“The biggest problem is getting a spring frost which can damage the tree… We also have to watch out for insects damaging the trees and any sheep grazing nearby.”

Downing Street sent the team a specific height and width, but the secret to the perfect tree, the pair added, was an “aesthetic shape”.

“People are looking for symmetry. Not too dense, not too wide, just a nice, well balanced tree,” Mr Reynolds said.

Mr Fourie added: “It’s a nice shape and doesn’t look too heavy. The layers are quite similar all the way up and we can't really see any big gaps in the tree as well.”

The Christmas tree was lit up at Downing Street on Monday evening, with NHS workers, military personnel and members of the police joining the prime minister for the switch on.