10/11/13 Last minute checks are made to ensure the baubles are all secure. *** Video clip here:
10/11/13 Last minute checks are made to ensure the baubles are all secure. *** Video clip here: *** ***360 Panoramas Here: & *** EuropeÕs first walk-in Christmas tree set to give Christmas treat to festive shoppers. BritainÕs tallest artificial Christmas tree, which, stands at a dizzying 90 ft high and is 32ft wide at its base, has an extra-ordinary festive surprise for visitors this year. The colossal structure at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, which weighs over 18 tons and is as tall as seven London buses, will become EuropeÕs first Ôwalk-inÕ Christmas tree. This year, site owners McArthurGlen have pulled out all the stops to share the wonder of this towering attraction, which is dazzling both inside and out. Two doorways have been created to allow shoppers to walk through the tree to see inside the vast illumination created by km of 90,000 twinkling fairy lights. The 14 tons of steel, with 12 foundation piles sunk 40ft on to the bed-rock is held together with 1,000 nuts and bolts and is adorned with over 20,000 baubles and four tons of branches and lights. Co-ordinating this epic task ahead of ThursdayÕs official switch-on is John Vasey, Project Manager for Springfield Decorations, based in Guildford, Surrey. The company, which specialises in the design and installation of Christmas decorations, employs over 60 staff. They began decorating stores, shopping centres, airports and ice rinks across Britain as far back as September. John said: ÒFifteen men have worked tirelessly for 5 days to erect and decorate the structure, which is so large it needs planning permission. ÒThe tree has been engineered to withstand a one-in-one-hundred-year storm and will cope with many tons of snow.Ó All Rights Reserved - F Stop Press +44 (0) 1335 300098
Size: 3232px × 4847px
Photo credit: © Rod Kirkpatrick / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cheshire, christmas, decorations, ellesmere, fsp, fstoppress, john, largest, liverpool, mcarthurglen, oaks, port, press, springfield, standalone, stop, tree, vasey, walk
