Meet Jez and Fiona, and their twin boys Rudy and Felix – one half of The Roots Company; expert Bristol-based tree surgeons. When it came to choosing a species for the two trees they sponsored through Trees for Streets, they decided to ‘go big, or go home.’
Keeping Bristol green
Bristol is full of beautiful parks, arboretums, gardens and various green spaces. That’s a lot of urban nature, and someone has to help look after it! That’s where The Roots Company comes in. They are a family-owned arborist business, with a passion for their craft.
Many people can put a chainsaw to a tree – but arborists have an in-depth understanding of each species, how they work together to support their environment and other fauna, and how they need to be looked after so they can thrive in our cities and towns.
Planting a legacy
The Roots Company have planted many trees for their clients, but the Trees for Streets sponsorship scheme offered an opportunity to plant trees in a location that holds a lot of meaning for them as a family.
“We’ve spent many hours walking around Arnos Court Park – particularly during lockdown, as it was the most local place to get into nature,” Jez told us.
The park is connected to Arnos Vale, a garden cemetery home to a diverse ancient woodland, offering a peaceful and reflective green space for the local community.
Tree Twinning
Jez and Fiona decided to sponsor two trees – one for Felix and one for Rudy. Through their existing connections, they worked with the environment team at Bristol City Council to choose a suitable location. Over a dozen new trees had just been planted along the main path through Arnos Vale Park, and these twin trees were going to mark the iconic entrance to what will one day be a magnificent tree-lined avenue through the park.
Why iconic? Because Jez and Fiona decided to sponsor dawn redwoods, which can reach over 50 meters in height.
Jez explained the unusual choice; “Dawn Redwoods are well suited to the environment, and have a high chance of reaching maturity. They’re amazing when fully grown and will offer a unique profile for the tree-lined avenue. We also wanted a tree that our sons can visit for the rest of their lives.”
Dawn redwoods can live for well over 100 years, so this tree will certainly be enjoyed by this family for generations to come.
3 simple steps
Our tree sponsorship scheme is in over 650 parks across the country – and growing! Sponsoring a celebration tree in a park is super straight forward through our online platform. Simply put in your location, pop a pin on our interactive map, and enter your information to make a donation.
We asked Jez how he found the whole process; “It’s really supportive, end to end. The team at Bristol City Council were super helpful with the positioning and verifying suitable species. Trees for Streets have your back throughout as well.”
Love where you live
With the help of amazing tree sponsors like Jez and his family, our streets and parks are being planted with more trees, ensuring that future generations can enjoy the many benefits of having nature in our urban environments.
If you’re interested in greening your community, click here to find out if we work with your local council.
And we’ll leave you with Jez’s thoughts on the scheme:
“What Trees for Streets are doing is, in our opinion, an essential service for the ongoing need to improve the air quality of our amazing city.”
