Thieves Chop Down Fundraiser Christmas Trees

Thieves who stole Christmas trees from a Christchurch church must have missed the festival's message of goodwill, its vicar says.

Twelve trees grown by the small Anglican parish of Heathcote and Mt Pleasant have been stolen in the past fortnight, which will mean some of that community's less fortunate could miss out on receiving something special from the church this Christmas.

The parish grows Christmas trees as an annual fundraiser and every year the parishioners replant, weed and look after the Christmas tree patch in a section next to the church, in preparation for tree sales in December.

They run an honesty box, and in the lead up to Christmas, Saturdays are tree-selling days with parishioners manning the paddock with their saws, for people to choose their own. The trees cost $25 each, and take three years to grow.