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Kingston University Designer Delivers Christmas Tree Charity

November 20, 2003

A Kingston University designer is bringing some early Christmas cheer to hundreds of needy children. Tim Simpson, a third year student on the University's Product and Furniture Design course, has created an alternative Christmas tree for Save the Children's Festival of Trees. This festive fundraiser sees companies from all over the country donate trees decorated with gifts which are auctioned off with all proceeds going to Save the Children.

The 21-year-old's design is sponsored by The Accessory People, a Chessington-based firm which supplies mobile phone fascias and computer accessories. The Accessory People is owned by former Kingston University student Nasa Khan, who was named UK Entrepreneur of the Year for 2002, and boasts an annual turnover of more than £350 million. Named Tree for Trees, Mr Khan picked out Tim's idea after inviting Kingston students to work up ideas for the charity's project brief. "I knew the University's students would come up with the type of design we were looking for," he said. "I particularly liked Tim's tree because it showed vision and creativity."   

The 6ft x 3ft Tree for Trees has been built using 2000 smaller trees. The trees are made from foamalux, a vinyl-based product, and are separated into 18 layers by perspex sheets. Costing nearly £1400 to build, it has also been decorated with blue neon lights. "There is nothing particularly complicated about my design - it's a tried and tested formula," Tim, from Swindon, explained. "Often simple designs are the most effective, particularly when you are up against a tight deadline as I was. I have gained real confidence from being able to apply the knowledge I've acquired on the course to a live client brief."

The Tree for Trees will be auctioned at the Natural History Museum in London on December 2 before 450 specially invited guests. Since the Festival of Trees event began in 1989 it has raised over £2.5 million. Last year celebrities such as Antony Worrall Thompson, Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen and Alan Titchmarsh attended the auction, along with HRH The Princess Royal who is President of Save the Children. Among the gifts hanging from Tim's tree will be mobile phones, a day's golfing at Wentworth and flight tickets to New York, courtesy of The Accessory People.

Senior Lecturer John Coles praised Tim for his application during the project. "A project like this gets the students believing in their own creativity and is great preparation for life after university," he said.

Kingston University