Christmas Tree Festival 2025

I do not visit Selby a great deal these days but I always enjoy a walk around the beautiful Abbey which stands proud at the head of Gowthorpe in the centre of our market town, overlooking the market place. That said, over the past eighteen months, I have probably visited the Abbey more than the town recently, alas I hasten, not for the church services, but to attend some of the excellent ‘candlelight concerts’ which have been held there.

That said today I spent the morning visiting the abbey, primarily to look at the ‘Christmas Tree Festival’ which runs from the end of November to the 5^th January 2026. Some thirty or so illuminated and decorated Christmas trees were placed around the outside of the North and South Chancel and had been designed by the local school children, charities, and local organisations, including The Children’s Society, The Local Ancestry group, Girl Guides, Selby Silent Book Club, The Rock Choir, U3A, Men’s mental Health Awareness and the Abbey men’s group and were decorated to reflect the various aspects connected with their club or organisation. It really is worth a visit, if nothing else I did not appreciate the number of organisations affiliated to the town. To round off my visit, it was nice after my walk to be able to sit and enjoy a cup of tea and mince pie in the Abbey café set in the North Nave, the staff were really friendly too. It really was a lovely visit.