KENDAL Parish Church is currently full to the brim of festive charity trees.

People have been visiting to marvel at 46 uniquely decorated trees - each one in support of a different charity.

The annual Charity Christmas Tree Festival is always a popular event in the church calendar and it is proving so again.

Event co-ordinator Diane Letheren said that she thought the church looked wonderful.

"All the trees are decorated really uniquely, either in charity colours or something specific to that charity," she said. "The Muscular Dystrophy tree is decorated by a little girl who has Muscular Dystrophy."

Charities involved this year include the North West Air Ambulance, St John's and St Catherine's Hospices and Kendal Mountain Rescue Team.

Diane said that last year's festival raised around £4,000 but she hoped this year would be even more popular as people would not be worrying about the floods.

"The charities, or a sponsor, buy a tree and they then come in and decorate it," she said. "The public can then donate to their favourite tree or favourite charity. Any profits from tea or coffee get divided up between the charities and hopefully they get a nice bit of money at the end of it."

Members of the public remarked that the church looked 'magical', with one father describing it as the 'start of Christmas'.

The festival is ongoing and the trees will be available to see over the next two weekends in December.