Sponsoring a tree can be a very personal thing. Lots of people sponsor trees to remember loved ones or celebrate memories, like siblings Tracy and Graham, who sponsored a street tree outside their childhood home in Tottenham.
Tracy saw a post on Facebook about the Haringey Trees for Streets scheme, and thought that it would be a lovely way to remember their parents.
sharing stories over tea and cake
We met with Tracy and her brother, Graham, at their family home in Tottenham in October.
They were very friendly, and immediately invited us in for a cup of tea and some cake.
This is the house that the pair grew up in, which has been in the family since the Second World War. It’s been the centre of their family every since.
We spent many happy times here growing up, so there are lots of good memories, but some sad ones too, of course.
Our parents both passed away quite recently. November marked a year since we lost Dad. We cared for both him and Mum at this house.
Tracy
Replacing a lost tree
The street has many mature trees along it, but the stretch outside their house has been empty for decades. As family history goes, the tree that used to occupy the spot outside their house, was struck by lightning many years ago, and didn’t survive.
“Mind you, Grandad, whose house it was at the time, was actually quite happy about that as it meant he could park his van in the front garden,” adds Graham.
room to grow
Alex, the tree officer at Haringey Council, gave a choice of two spots for the tree to be planted in: one slightly to the side, in front of their garden gate, and one midway across the front of their house.
After a little discussion, Tracy and Graham chose the spot to the side of their property, as they didn’t want the tree immediately in front of their lounge window.
Interestingly, this was in direct contrast to the decision of a sponsor we’d met the previous week, who was keen for the tree to offer as much shade to their house as possible, because it gets overheated in the summer – it’s always important to consider the impact a tree will have on its surroundings as it grows, because it will hopefully be there for decades.
The new tree will be planted this winter, and will become a way of celebrating the family’s history at this house. Tracy is taking the house on, so will continue the family tradition in Tottenham.
