Towns and cities across the UK are filled with beautiful parks where people gather to socialise, exercise and enjoy the feeling of being in nature. After the restrictions of the last two years, these places have become even more utilised and appreciated than ever.
Local councils have responsibility for maintaining the parks in their area, whether it’s a small square garden or a vast greenspace spanning acres of land. This is no easy feat, and budgets are often stretched to the limits. That’s why they often rely on the public to help too.
At Trees for Streets, our mission is to get more street trees planted in our urban areas. But we also run ‘celebration tree’ sponsorship schemes with the councils in the areas we operate in.
Here’s how you can get involved in maintaining the green spaces in your local area.
What is a Celebration Tree?
A ‘celebration tree’ is a tree that has been sponsored by a member of the public, and planted in a public park. As well as covering the costs of planting the tree, the sponsorship money also covers its maintenance and watering costs for several years.
People sponsor celebration trees for all sorts of reasons; they make a unique and meaningful gift or marker of a special occasion. And of course, the scheme helps councils by supplementing their existing tree planting budget, meaning that more trees can be planted.
A Celebration Tree planted by one of our council partners will usually be about 3-5 metres high, with one or more tree stakes. It may also come with various accessories to protect it and help it grow, such as a wire mesh tree guard, watering bag, and/or an irrigation tube.
Reasons to sponsor a celebration tree
Celebrate a life event
Some life events are so special that you want to mark them in a way that is more lasting and significant than a gift that will eventually be forgotten about. Some people like to sponsor celebration trees to mark the birth of a new baby, or the day an adopted child joins a family. It’s nice to think of both new lives growing together, giving the child a connection to nature that will last for years to come.
They can also be used to celebrate weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and even business successes – whatever the reason, planting a tree is a unique and meaningful way of celebrating an event.
A gift that keeps growing
We all know someone who is impossible to buy for! A sponsored tree in their local park makes a great gift for any occasion, and the best bit is that it can be enjoyed for years to come.
The tree that is planted will change over time, growing each year and eventually providing shade and beauty that can be enjoyed by everyone who uses the park. For the receiver, it offers a sense of connection to nature and satisfaction that they have done something to improve their local environment. Whether someone is a nature fanatic or not, this is a gift that keeps on giving!
A natural and lasting memorial
Planting a tree to mark the death of a loved one is a natural and sustainable way to create a long-lasting memorial.
Visiting a cemetery or churchyard can be a difficult and sad experience for some people, but a park is generally a happy place that people of all ages and walks of life can enjoy.
Sponsoring a tree in a local park is a wonderful gift that you are giving to a community – what could be more uplifting than that?
Investing in your neighbourhood
Sponsoring a tree in a park where everyone can benefit from it is a wonderful way to show you care about your local area and the wider environment.
Firstly, spending time in nature makes a proven difference to our mental health and overall sense of wellbeing. Being around trees helps reduce stress by connecting us to nature. They also provide much-needed homes for birds and other wildlife, enriching our environment with new sights, sounds and smells.
Trees are also a key factor in the fight against climate change, by absorbing harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. And as the climate gets hotter, trees provide much-needed shade from the hot sun.
Trees can also help absorb some of the toxins and pollutants that are linked to 40,000 deaths in the UK each year.
Our neighbourhoods simply need more trees!
Get involved
At Trees for Streets, we’re committed to helping empower and enable people to take ownership of planting more trees. You can sponsor celebration trees in any of the areas we operate in, it doesn’t have to be near to where you live, so if you want to contribute towards tree planting in a different area, you can.
