If you've visited our Trafalgar website, you will have read all about how and why the Woodland Trust is commemorating the historic Battle through Tree For All. But volunteers at Gunton Wood in Lowestoft have their own reasons to remember it.
Before going to sea, it is believed that Horatio Nelson spent his school holidays at Gunton Hall and practised shooting in the grounds of the manor where Gunton Wood now stands.
To mark the bicentenary of the Battle, 15 members of the Lowestoft sea cadet corps were invited to plant a 20 foot oak in the wood. Nearly 100 people turned out to witness the event that was organised by members of the Gunton Woodland Community Project.
Over the past seven years, the Gunton Woodland Community Project has transformed the wood from an overgrown wasteland into a thriving wildlife haven. Volunteers have planted 3,000 trees and, as a tribute to their efforts, it was among the first to win the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for voluntary service in 2003 while, more recently, it has been officially recognised as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR).
Many of these trees have been planted by children and they are encouraged to label their saplings and follow their progress from year to year. Now their visits could take on a whole new significance as they can also wonder if their muddy footsteps are following the same path as a budding admiral's over 200 years ago.
