It will be one of the most photographed Christmas trees in the world, so it’s important that everything is in full working order.
And it's been left to Mitie engineer Winston Haywood from our Technical Facilities Management team to individually check all 600 bulbs that will be used to light up the 70ft tree that will be switched on in London’s Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening. The lights will then stay on 24 hours a day until midnight on the Twelfth Night (January 6).
The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree arrived in the capital on Monday after a 700-mile journey from Oslo, Norway. It has been an annual gift to the people of London by Oslo each year since 1947, as a token of gratitude for British support for Norway during the Second World War.
The lighting ceremony on Thursday 6 December begins at 6pm and will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Angela Harvey, and Oslo Mayor Stian Berger Rosland.
Councillor Harvey said: “For many Londoners, the lighting of the tree at Trafalgar Square heralds the beginning of the festive season, and I am delighted to welcome all of Westminster’s residents and our visitors to share this iconic symbol of Christmas.
“I would like to thank the people of Oslo for this wonderful tree, the gift of which is a tradition that goes back many years, and has come to represent not only the start of Christmas, but also a long-standing friendship between 'Norway and the United Kingdom.”
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For further information, contact:
Mitie
Erica Lockhart, Head of Investor Relations and External Affairs
T: +44 (0) 20 3123 8675
M: +44 (0) 7979 784488
John Telling, Group Corporate Affairs Director
T: +44 (0) 20 3123 8673
M: +44 (0) 7979 701006
