Villager’s Christmas wish for roundabout near Horsham

Polly Barnes hopes to decorate the tree on the Worthing Road roundabout off the A24 in red and gold to celebrate Christmas.

She said she wants to do ‘something welcoming’ to greet visitors during the festive season.

Polly said: “Wouldn’t it be nice if we did a proper job on it.

“It’s going to be very tasteful. I’m not having tat on it.”

She praised Lintot Square’s ‘pretty’ decoration and said she hopes to brighten up the ‘dull’ north part of Southwater.

Polly plans to hang red and gold decorations on the tree, a Giant Redwood, and hopes to add solar powered lights.

She said: “[The tree is] a lovely shape. There’s not going to be that many times we can actually do it because it’s going to get really big but we just thought we would have a bash this year.”

To help fund the project she is searching for support from entrepreneurs in the area.

Polly added: “At the moment we’re just approaching local businesses to see if they will cough up a few quid.”

But this isn’t the first time the community has come together at Christmas.

In 2018 businesses around Horsham funded a community Christmas tree for the town centre which is set to return this year.

A West Sussex County Council spokesman advised Polly to contact West Sussex Highways before doing anything on the roundabout.

He added: “Safety is always our priority and we would need to be sure what she is proposing poses no risk to road users, or the resident herself.”