Cheshire man creates 'bargain price' miniature Christmas village

The tiny village is made up of second-hand finds

A man who had wanted a miniature Christmas village "for as long as he could remember" has created his own.

Andy Bailey spent much of the year snapping up bargain pieces from charity shops and online marketplaces, as he said he could not justify the cost of buying a ready-made set.

The father-of-four started assembling his "mis-match" village at his Cheshire home in November.

The festive table-top scene includes snow and a miniature railway set.

Mr Bailey plans to add to his miniature festive village in 2024

He estimated it had cost about £150 to build his collection and most items bought online were delivered to his work, so his wife did not find out.

"It was like my secret vice and I hoarded them at the back of the garage," he said.

There were lots of Christmas village enthusiast groups on social media, he added, which is where some of his display has been sourced from, along with charity shops within a 25-mile radius of his Congleton home.

His fascination for tiny festive scenes can be traced back to Christmas displays in a department store called Lewis's, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, when he was a boy.

"I was about seven or eight and remember looking at these miniature villages while my mum was Christmas shopping."

The "mis-matched" elements of the Christmas village were gathered over the year, said Mr Bailey

For anybody else interested in creating their own, the start of the new year could be a good time to begin, he suggested.

That is because people who have had their village on display over the festive season might "think about the rigmarole of putting it back in the loft" and be willing to sell pieces.

Mr Bailey said he planned to add to his tiny festive village next year, adding: "I need more figurines."