SOME of the finest Christmas trees in the land are being grown near Ledbury, as a national award clearly demonstrates.

For many years, Colin Palmer of Arborzone/Coddington Christmas Trees in Raycomb Lane has been entering, without success, the annual British Christmas Tree Growers Association's "Best in Britain" competition.

But now his son, Matthew, has shown him how to do it by entering a tree himself for the first time and winning the prestigious award of "Best Other Spruce," against stiff competition.

Colin said of his son's success: "I've entered a few times myself, and been unsuccessful, and Matthew scoops an award first time, which I'm very envious of!"

In fact, the father and son team are celebrating success together, having been a team since Matthew returned from the Australian outback in 2011, after a spell of sheep farming.

The tree that Matthew nurtured for success is a blue spruce, known and popular for the blue and green tones to its needles.

It was one of 8000 Christmas trees being grown at the Coddington site this year.

Over 200 growers from all corners of the UK attended the hotly contested competition, which was held recently at Christmas Common near Watlington, Oxfordshire, where over 100 trees and wreaths were set before the judges.

Five categories of trees - Best Norway Spruce, Best Other Spruce, Best Nordman Fir, Best Other Fir and Best Pine were judged through a secret ballot by highly critical Christmas Tree growers, with Matthew’s blue spruce beating all others in the category to gain the award.

Matthew, who accepted the award from John Howell MP said “This is the first time I have entered a tree in the competition and it is great to have produced a champion tree”.

Coddington Christmas Trees, near Ledbury, have been growing Christmas trees since 1978, and the business is also well-known locally for recycling Christmas trees each New Year, including for the Ledbury Scouts, who run a fund-raising Christmas tree collection service.

Old trees are turned in compost and mulch, which is useful in gardening and agriculture for weed control.