Residents in a Fife town have hit out at an “eyesore” Christmas tree after the sparse bush was planted outside Kelty Community Centre on Thursday.
But Fife Council say the tree is meant to be a permanent addition to the community and would instead grow in place, rather than new trees being cut down every year.
Local councillor Alex Campbell stepped in after being inundated with messages about the tree, asking Fife Council bosses to arrange a replacement of the “unacceptable” spruce.
“The community deserves better, that’s just an eyesore,” he said.
Residents poked fun at the Christmas tree after a picture was posted in a local community group online, with one person saying they had seen “bigger things growing on cheese”.
Elaine Hughes said it was an insult to the town: “The tree in Kelty has always been lovely since I have been here nearly 15 years, this is an insult.”
“Is this a joke?”, a third person asked.
Councillor Campbell said that he had contacted officials at the local authority after receiving complaints from locals.
‘We aren’t accepting it’
“I told them we weren’t happy, and we aren’t accepting it. The standard is not acceptable and it’s not suitable for the village,” he explained.
Tommy Thomson, who shared the picture, said the tree was a disgrace.
He added that if the council was struggling for funds to pay for a proper tree then they could have asked local businesses to donate.
Permanent tree will ‘grow in place’
“I own a cleaning company, I would’ve happily donated something,” he told The Courier.
Fife Council explained that it was exploring the possibility of a temporary tree to take pride of place.
Community manager Sarah Roxburgh commented: “We understand that Kelty’s Christmas tree is a bit smaller than usual this year.
“However, we hope people appreciate that this is a new permanent tree for the community and will grow and thrive over time.
Cutting down trees every year for Christmas is not environmentally friendly
Sarah Roxburgh, Fife Council
“Cutting down trees every year for Christmas is not environmentally friendly and that’s why, along with local community councils, we’ve decided our local Christmas tree should put down roots and become a permanent addition to our local environment.
“As a one off, this year we’re exploring the possibility of a larger temporary tree that will take pride of place in Kelty to allow time for our new permanent tree to grow a bit bigger for next year.
“We hope local people nurture Kelty’s new permanent tree and that it will be focal point for Christmas celebrations over many years to come.”
