Transformation in 30 years

First tree dug in 1992 - Darrell school still come twice a week to the field.

We were delighted to find some old photos of the field probably from the early 90’s. It has been transformed from a piece of scrubland to the beautiful site it is today by 30 years of hard graft. 800 trees were planted in 1992 by local schools and the Mayor at the time, Councillor Anne Summers, planted the first tree in November 1992.

Each generation of volunteers has made its own contribution - the hedgerow was planted in 1993 along the border with the tennis club, wildflowers were planted in 1993/94 and the pond was dug in 1998. The orchard came later in 2003.

Now the trees and hedgerow are well established, our volunteers do a great job in looking after what is already there. But we are now having to plan for how we deal with ash dieback which will involve felling some trees and replacing them. We have recently planted 500 bulbs (native species) and returfed part of the wild meadow. The job is never done as any gardener will tell you but we hope that in 30 years time it will be even more beautiful than it is today.