Canon Frome's David Brown, Christmas Tree Grower of the Year provides 10 Downing Street's tree

8:00am Monday 17th November 2008

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A LITTLE bit of Herefordshire will stand outside Downing Street this Christmas thanks to a county farmer.

David Brown is pining for the streets of London after being named Christmas Tree Grower of the Year.

Mr Brown, from Canon Frome, saw off contestants from afar as Devon and Scotland to win the title. His reward is an audience of millions, as his 18ft Norway Spruce will stand outside Downing Street this December.

The 41-year-old will deliver the tree to Westminster on December 5 before being given a tour of the premier’s house.

It’s the second year running a county farmer will make the journey, as Colin Griffiths, of Dinmore Trees, won the prize last year.

“It must be something in the soil,” he said.

“We get an application to enter every year. We look at one in the field, think that’s a bit a special so we prune it, keep the bugs off and generally look after it.”

David has been a professional Christmas tree farmer for eight years and owns a 100 acre plantation near his home. He’s also member of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, which awarded him the best spruce and champion tree titles.

The trees spend their first year in Denmark before reaching 20cm and being shipped over.

According to Mr Brown, being a Christmas tree farmer is a year-long job, and can provide treemendous rewards.

“Tree growing has become very professional and gone are the days when you went to a forest and snipped the top,” he said.

“I do have Royalty among my clients, but I can’t possibly tell you who that is.”