Sylvans helper creating an ormer Christmas tree
Iridescent ormer shells are getting a second life as a Christmas tree, as design work comes together at Sylvans Sports Club.
Demelza Newsom has been working at the club for over two years and is known for her creative Christmas decorations around the bar.
Last year, the tree was made entirely out of pint glasses, wine glasses, champagne flutes and other glassware and the bar was decorated with branches that had fallen off in the surrounding fields.
This year, Mrs Newsom has come up with the idea to celebrate the natural beauty of ormer shells.
‘I always go for things that are found near by,’ she said.
‘Ormers are so pretty, so I thought “that would look really nice around the bar at Christmas time”.’
Conservation regulations mean that ormers are only allowed to be collected on designated tides at the beginning of the year. This means that Mrs Newsom has until the end of April to collect her shells.
‘I started asking people in January, in the bar and a bit on social media, and the word spread,’ she said.
‘It was lovely. Every ormering tide I saw a few more come in. And then it sort of got a bit bigger than that.’
Members, volunteers, visiting euchre players and ‘all people to do with the club’ started delivering shells from all over the island.
‘I’d come along and I’d find just a big bag of shells on the doorstep, or a carrier bag around the back that people had just come up with, from the whole community. I’ve even been given bags full from people who have been collecting them for years.’
With too many shells to ‘just decorate the bar with’, Mrs Newsom said to club manager June Martel that she now wanted to make a Christmas tree out of ormers.
They currently have several hundred shells, all washed and ready for their Christmas debut, but Mrs Newsom is still picking up donations.
‘We’ll see how big we can go,’ she said.
Mrs Newsom said she had been touched by the community effort in supplying her with shells.
‘It’s lovely that people who use the club are thinking of us. That people have been out ormering, had their meal and then brought me the shell.
'It’s a really lovely connection and I think when they see the Christmas tree, it will be a sign of everybody coming together. Everybody contributed.’
The final ormering tide is 29 April.
