Christmas never stops for Northumberland firm behind festive displays at Blenheim Palace and Kew Gardens

Culture Creative is behind the illuminated trails wowing visitors at numerous top attractions including Blenheim Palace, Kew Gardens and, for the first time this year, Parc Floral in Paris.

Not bad for a firm first established in 2004 with bases in Alnwick and the former Belford middle school.

Zoe Bottrell, managing director of Culture Creative said: "Most of the planning for our trails starts in earnest nine months ahead of opening.

"In the new year, whilst the site teams are de-rigging and the trucks are bringing back all the Christmas decorations to our warehouse in Northumberland, we start mapping out the trails for that year, and contracting both UK based and international artists whose work we would like to include as part of the trails - whether this is giant lilies on a pond, or a projection onto a building, it all needs contracted, commissioned, and planned early in the year."

Today it employs a full-time team of 15 year-round and is recognised as one of the leading producers of outdoor events.

It is also behind the festive displays at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Stourhead, Belton House, Bedgebury Pinetum, Dunham Massey, Delamere Forest, Kingston Lacy, Wimpole, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Roundhay Park, Hatfield House, Leeds Castle and, closer to home, at Gibside on Tyne and Wear.

Zoe added: “In addition to our Christmas trails across the UK, we have winter trails in Paris and the USA, Halloween trails that open in October, and trails in Australia during our ’summer’ months, so we don’t really stop.

“We’ve grown considerably over the last five years. Our first ever Christmas trail was at Kew which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. We then opened at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire where we also create a themed indoor trail in the Palace State Rooms as well as the outdoor Christmas trail.

"Since then we have created Christmas trails in Edinburgh, Manchester, Cambridge and all across the UK and this year we will open almost 30 trails worldwide.”