For Kenny, planting a tree wasn’t just about improving his street. It was about helping his children grow up with a stronger connection to nature.
Bringing nature back to the street
Kenny shared with us, “I think that all things work best when there is a balanced relationship between humans and nature. In this case, planting a tree helps create that balance.”
Walking around the streets of East Ham, in East London, where Kenny and his family live, we can certainly understand what he means. Newham has plenty of well-established urban trees; beautiful field maples, hornbeam and sycamore add green to the grey and create shade in the heat of the summer. These streets feel welcoming and homely. There’s a tangible difference between them and the adjacent streets, which have the same architecture – but unexplicably no trees, or just the one or two lonesome specimens.
That’s where our scheme comes into play. Trees for Streets not only gives residents like Kenny the ability to bring more green to where he lives, but it also supports Newham Council’s tree planting efforts. All this means Newham’s urban forest can grow quicker and healthier – and with the summer we’re experiencing now, establishing more trees earlier is vital if we want to make our towns and cities resilient to climate change.
Learning through nature
For Kenny, the most rewarding part of sponsoring a tree has been sharing the experience with his children. “I wanted my children to remember that giving back to nature is essential,” Kenny told us, “We should create a reciprocal relationship with our environment rather than simply taking from it.”
He hopes it will help them understand that caring for nature doesn’t have to be complicated. Small actions can make a real difference. Their new tree is a cercis siliquastrum – a beautiful pink flowering tree native to the Mediterranean region, and very suitable for the summers London now regularly experiences.
But despite its tolerance for a warmer climate, this cercis siliquastrum still needs help establishing in its new tough urban environment. The simple act of watering it during the summer months will help this tree grow strong and reach full maturity, providing fresh air, shade and beauty for Kenny’s family and future generations.
Join the tree movement
Kenny is now part of a growing community of residents up and down the country helping make their neighbourhoods greener. Find out if you can sponsor a tree in your street or local park by clicking here.
