Welford Christmas Tree Farm. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.Welford Christmas Tree Farm. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.
Welford Christmas Tree Farm. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.

All hands to the deck at award-winning family-run Christmas tree farm in Northamptonshire

They are half way through their busiest ever month of the year with Christmas Day just around the corner.

Will Miles and his family are up to their eyes in Christmas trees, naughty reindeer and mince pies as they hurtle towards their biggest day of the year.

Welford Christmas Tree Farm was set up 26 years ago when Will was just 16.

Using his parent's farm - just off the A14 between Cold Ashby and Welford - Will started to sell Christmas trees and his brother Richard launched his own turkey business.

Fast forward 26 years and Will has gone from selling around 200 trees a year to planting 10,000 of festive spruces on land surrounding the working farm, while Richard runs North Kilworth Bronzers selling turkeys from his own farm as well as Welford.

Will said: "It's become more and more popular over the years. People like small businesses and tractability."

The business really took off when wife Ella came on board around 12 years ago.

Ella runs the Christmas gift shop, tipi cafe and the award-winning wreath side to the business which has seen them provide Number 10 Downing Street with a wreath for the famous door three times.

Welford Christmas Tree farm does so much more than just supply trees and wreaths. It's packed with extras including arts and crafts for little ones, free mulled wine and mince pies for visitors, Santa's Grotto and magic moss for the reindeer who live alongside the turkeys, alpacas and piglets.

One cheeky little reindeer had to be returned to the North Pole recently because he kept trying to escape.

The Christmas shop is brimming with festive gifts alongside the roaring log fire and the tipi cafe is a pure delight on a cold day featuring a fire to toast marshmallows, hot chocolate, homemade cakes and prosecco.

The farm has become victim of its own success with crowds of people coming at weekends to pick their special tree for the festive season.

It's all hands to the deck in the run up to Christmas for the Miles family, including children Elsa, 9, Martha, 6, and Tom, 3.

Will said: "It's a huge family effort. You have the end goal of Christmas Day to look forward to."

Plans are in the pipeline to now build a purpose built barn away from the main farm house to house a shop which would be ten times the size and bring everything under one roof.

Will said: "Weekends can be manic so this would help us manage it all a bit better."

Things don't quieten down too much in January either, when thoughts will turn to next Christmas. "It's a all year round job", Will added.

Welford Christmas Tree Farm will close its doors at 2.30pm on Christmas Eve.

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