Following the success of last year’s event, families are once again invited to celebrate a birth, marriage or life of a relative with the planting of a community woodland in the New Forest.
Over 300 people attended last year’s event at Jubilee Fields in Sway, choosing to plant one of the Forest’s six native tree species in the event run by the New Forest National Park Authority.
Registration is free and open to all, with the tree planting taking place in Ashurst in the New Forest on 3 December. Anyone who registers will receive a free personalised certificate as a memento, even if they cannot attend the tree planting day.
Trees and woodlands are a key feature of the natural beauty of the Forest and they also make an important contribution to the appearance of towns and villages within the area. As the Family Trees woodland grows and matures it will provide a legacy for future generations and provide a lasting memory of a loved-one.
New to 2016, children can enter our competition to have their drawing used on this year’s certificate. The theme of the competition is ‘family trees’, with the winning design being picked by National Park staff.
The competition closes at midday on Friday 30 September.
To enter, download the template on the Family Trees section of our website. Entries can be scanned and emailed to trees@newforestnpa.gov.uk or sent by post to The Tree Team, New Forest National Park Authority, Lymington Town Hall, Avenue Road, Lymington, SO41 9ZG.
The winner must be available on Saturday 3 December and will have the honour of planting the first tree at the grand opening of the event.
Senior Tree Officer Nik Gruber from the New Forest National Park Authority said: ‘Following the success of last year, we are delighted to be running the Family Trees event again. We have an ideal site with the Recreation Ground at Ashurst with scope for new tree planting and to enhance the existing trees that are there.
‘The Parish Council has been keen to get involved with the project and we are grateful for the added support from the Tesco Bags of Help and Waitrose Community Matters schemes.’
Ashurst and Colbury Parish Chairman Max Coaker said: ‘We’re very pleased that Ashurst will be the site for this year’s Family Trees event. Planting a tree to mark an important life event or remember a loved-one ensures that special memories live on for generations. Ashurst is a wonderful location to bring together people of all ages and create a new woodland for the Forest. I hope that everyone who takes part in December will enjoy being a part of such an uplifting event.’
The Family Trees project is supported by Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council and Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.
To reserve your place for free visit www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/familytrees
