By A growing reminder of the sacrifices of frontline workers
Trees planted by children from Winteringham are among the first to be registered on a new tree register.
The youngsters from the village’s Under Five’s group helped plant two special rowan trees outside the village hall.
The trees were grown by a local family as part of the village’s Foster a Tree scheme.
Villagers have also planted more trees and hedges around the area as part of the work of the Winteringham Village Conservancy, which has been set up to help protect, restore and improve the ecology of the parish.
So far this year, the group has planted 22 trees and recorded them on North Lincolnshire Council’s register, with plans for many more.
In recent years villagers have also built and installed over 100 nest boxes, planted thousands of hedging plants, seeded a wildflower border and planted more than 40,000 wild daffodil bulbs.
Over the summer, a scarecrow trail, a village golf tournament and a sponsored sprint triathlon were organised to raise funds specifically to plant spring-flowering trees around the village. Dozens of people have also donated to a ‘Let there be blossom’ fund.
Mike Pinnock, who co-ordinates the Conservancy, said: “The spring-flowering trees will remind future generations of the sacrifices that frontline staff made to get us through this pandemic. Coming out of the darkness of the winter months, the annual arrival of this blossom will serve as a symbol of hope and renewal.
“Our village is full of really talented and community-minded people. We’re channelling all that knowledge, wisdom, skill, energy and commitment towards the single goal of making a difference to the natural environment that’s on our doorstep.”
The Northern Forest is the Government’s 25-year plan to plant 50 million trees across the north of England.
As part of the vision, North Lincolnshire Council has committed to seeing 172,000 trees planted in North Lincolnshire – one for every person in the area.
“We are asking everyone, from gardeners to community groups and local councils, to tell us when they plant a tree by filling in this form on our website. The trees will go on our register and we will issue regular reports as we get nearer our 172,000 total,” said a spokesperson for the council.
(Jack and Allan Borrill are pictured tree planting in Winteringham)
