Life-long Cambridge resident, Dilly, is on a mission to green-up her street. She’s just sponsored the planting of a new tree outside her house, and she’s planning to get her neighbours involved in sponsoring a few more along their terrace for the next planting season.
A front door to the world
Dilly lives on a delightful 1900s terraced street in Cambridge, called Alpha Terrace, with a primary school at the end of the street.
Her front door opens straight out onto the pavement, with a grass verge between the house and the road itself.
It was that verge that allowed Dilly to sponsor a tree through the Cambridge Trees for Streets scheme.
Confidence to go-ahead
Dilly initially saw the scheme promoted on Facebook and got in touch with our team. She was happy to learn that it was a partnership between our charity, Trees for Cities, and Cambridge City Council. This gave her the confidence to go ahead with her sponsorship request.
A simple process
Dilly found the process of sponsoring a new tree through the Trees for Streets website very straightforward. She went on to our website, selected the location on the map, answered some questions and submitted her sponsorship request – in just a few minutes. This was then passed on to Cambridge City Council, who checked that it was possible to plant a tree at this location.
Favourite tree? We’ll see what we can do
As part of the online sponsorship process, we ask about any preferences the sponsor might have for the type of tree they would like planted. While it’s not always possible for councils to promise a particular species or variety of trees, these preferences are always taken into account.
When the council came to plant the tree, Dilly put a stake in her grass verge to show exactly where she wanted it planted. Luckily for her, it was the perfect spot!
Dilly’s tree
Dilly is a bit of a tree aficionado, and so was very pleased that the council planted a Prunus Serrulata ‘Sunset Boulevard’ in her chosen spot. This is a lovely fan-shaped cherry tree that will really add some extra kerb appeal – her words.
Even in its first year of street life, this tree has put out a lovely show of blossom, and it will have beautiful leaves in the Autumn too.
Watering the tree
When we met Dilly, she had a watering can in hand. It’s a short journey from the front door to the tree, so Dilly decided to take on the responsibility of keeping it well-watered.
This is a great way to get involved in helping to care for your sponsored tree, but there’s also an option in our app for the council to do it.
A Community of tree-lovers
Dilly explained that the residents on her street have a great sense of community spirit. She said that lots of people have noticed her tree and commented on how great it looks, so she hopes that others will now follow suit and sponsor a few more trees along the terrace.
She’s definitely aware of one neighbour who’s going to request a tree.
Join Dilly, green your street
If like Dilly, you’d like to sponsor a tree to go outside your house or in your street, it’s really easy with our app.
Check if your council is already part of our national scheme, and follow the simple steps to make a request. If your council is not working with us yet or doesn’t already have a scheme, we can send them a request to get involved on your behalf.
