The popular Christmas Tree Farm & Festive Shop at Home Farm, Methley, near Leeds, is now open – with expectations high for a bumper season.
The glittering festive shop, which was launched in 2019, enjoyed a successful Christmas last year, despite strict anti-Covid measures being in place.
The expansion of the Christmas offering at Methley shop is the idea of Jamie Savile, whose family have owned the Methley estate since the 15th century.
Jamie explained: “We are pleased to announce that we are open as normal this year, albeit with the extra precautions for CV-19. We are very conscious that Covid remains a threat, so we will be encouraging all our visitors to wear facemasks, use our hand sanitisers and observe social distancing wherever possible.
“Our popular cut-your-own Xmas Tree site will be open as usual and our click-and-collect scheme is now live on our website. We want everything to be as near normal as possible, just with everyone taking that extra little bit of care.
Jamie commented: “There is no doubt that Christmas is going to be very different again this year. There will be a greater sense of freedom and joy than last year, with more families together, but there will be an acknowledgement that this Covid nightmare isn’t completely over.”
“We had a remarkably successful year last year, with 3,500 trees sold, as many people wanted to forget about the global pandemic which blighted 2020 so badly. We expect a similar reaction this year and are looking forward to a very busy time.”
Due to roadworks close to Junction 30 of the M62, it is best to approach the Christmas Pop Up shop at Home Farm via the village of Methley.
Jamie continued: “Choosing a tree from Methley, either from our undercover barns or from our 10 acres Xmas tree field, is a special tradition for many local families at Christmas time – and we won’t disappoint. Our farm manager planted the first tree in 1996 and now the farm has 18,000 trees being grown at any one time, so there is a wide range available from ultra-green potted 2ft-4ft trees to 12ft giants, from Nordman Firs, to Norway Spruce and Fraser Firs.
“This has been a stressful and unsettling year for everyone and I think many people are going to make Christmas as happy, joyous and colourful as they possibly can. We are here to help them do exactly that.
Situated near Leeds, on the confluence of the Rivers Aire and Calder, the Methley Estate is part of Mexborough Estates owned by the Savile family.
The estate was once home to Methley Hall, which was built in 1588. Having been requisitioned by the army during both the First and Second World Wars, the hall also became subject to significant mining subsidence and extensive dry rot and was sadly demolished in the late 1950s.
Mexborough Estates grows Christmas trees in Hawnby, near Helmsley, as well as at Methley. The Hawnby trees are sold at Methley.
Jamie Savile added: “In the past, people have said that they love coming to see us at Christmas because it is an authentic experience, as opposed to buying an anonymous tree in a supermarket.
“We believe our Christmas shop, housed in an historic old barn, adds to this authenticity and makes buying a Christmas tree here an enjoyable and memorable experience for all the family. This year, like last year, that is more important than ever.”
