A CORNISH family business is heading for the heart of British politics after winning the right to decorate one of the world’s most famous front doors this Christmas.

Liskeard’s Santa Trees has beaten growers from across the country to be crowned Champion Festive Wreath of the Year 2026, putting Cornwall centre stage at 10 Downing Street this festive season.

Its winning wreath will hang on the Prime Minister’s front door, giving a family business with deep Cornish roots a starring role in the nation’s Christmas celebrations.

And this is no fluke. Santa Trees has now won the prestigious national title for the third time.

Owner Helen Edge, who runs the business with husband Russell and parents Margaret and Ivor Dungey, said the achievement remained a special moment for the family.

“It's an amazing experience,” she said. “This is the third time we’ve won it, and it’s such a great experience to be able to take your wreath up to Downing Street and put it on the door.”

The latest triumph came at the annual British Christmas Tree Growers Association competition in East Sussex, where around 160 growers gathered to battle it out for the industry's top honours.

Santa Trees first won the naturally decorated wreath category before going head-to-head with the winners of the other wreath classes to claim the overall title.

The judges look for precision, symmetry, colour and craftsmanship, as well as a design worthy of one of the most photographed doorways in the world.

“They look at the precision, how neat it is and what they interpret as a nice Christmas wreath,” Helen explained.

However, a wreath destined for Downing Street needs more than neat handiwork.

“It needs to be quite visual, nice and shiny and blingy, so people can see it when it’s shown on television,” added Helen.

The family will now finalise its design before delivering the wreath towards the end of November. Although built around a 12-inch ring, the finished piece must be substantial enough to stand out on the famous black door.

Cornwall will share the Downing Street spotlight with Yorkshire’s York Christmas Trees, which won the Champion Christmas Tree Grower of the Year award and will supply the tree displayed outside No. 10. Welford Christmas Tree Farm in Northamptonshire will provide the trees inside.

For Santa Trees, the success is another milestone in a family story that began long before its wreaths reached Westminster. Helen’s father started growing Christmas trees around 70 years ago, while the family has worked its current field for approximately 40 years.

Today, the business invites customers to choose their own trees, with many returning year after year.

“We're a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm,” Helen said. “People come from September onwards to reserve their tree while it's still growing, then come back at Christmas and we cut it down for them.”

Growing a six-foot Christmas tree takes around nine or 10 years, with new trees planted annually to keep the tradition alive.

Now, as Christmas approaches, the family is preparing to send another piece of Cornwall onto the national stage.