Nearly 400 children from Chandlings Manor School in Oxfordshire have done their bit for the Woodland Trust’s Tree For All campaign by planting a new avenue stretching a mile and a quarter across their school grounds, some with the help of a spoon.
Every child at the school planted one hornbeam tree as their contribution to the avenue which marks the way along a public footpath that passes through the grounds. All the pupils, some as young as four, brought either a trowel or a spoon to cover the roots of their sapling with soil after carefully placing them into pre-dug holes.
Jo Goddard, who helped to organise the event said, “The children were incredibly enthusiastic about planting their trees. We gave every sapling a number so each child will always know which is their tree. They’re going to look after them as they grow and we really hope they’ll continue to visit them even after they’ve left school.”
The children’s memories will be preserved in perpetuity as the local TV and press also turned out to cover the event. Regional news viewers were given a fascinating glimpse into the future as computer experts at the TV station generated a virtual image showing how the avenue will look when the trees have matured.
