Deptford dwellers get in the Christmas spirit

Decorative Christmas tree in Deptford pic: Lene Wold

A Christmas tree decorated with empty beer-cans, tomatoes, carrots and a large umbrella on Deptford High Street has attracted a lot of attention from passers by.

The Deptford dwellers that usually sit around the anchor sculpture on the high street made the unusual Christmas decoration after they found the tree in a car park on Monday night.

Yonne McPolin, 41, who often sits by the anchor, said two of her friends came up with the idea when they found the tree nearby.

She said: ”everybody has been decorating it, and a lot of people have taken pictures of it during the day.”

However, not everybody is as enthusiastic about the untraditional Christmas decoration. Isac Ash, 59, who owns a shop on Deptford High Street, said he did not like the “drunks’ Christmas tree at all.”

“It gives a bad impression of Deptford, and is not something to be proud of.”

Ash added that Deptford had too few lights and decorations, and revealed he had to put pressure on the council to turn the Christmas lights on this year: “This is the maximum number of Christmas decorations we will get. That is just depressing.”

Samila Mohamed, 24, who plans to spend Christmas around the anchor, said she and her friends had only tried to brighten up the landmark for Christmas.

She said: “It is a festive period and we have no other place to go.”

McPolin agreed, saying she hoped they could keep the tree until Christmas Eve, adding: “We are good people who just want to celebrate Christmas with our friends around the anchor.”

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