Benjamin Zephaniah loved trees and nature and wrote poems about how important they were. When his brother asked if we could do something with trees to celebrate Benjamin's life we thought it would be a wonderful idea to plant a forest - one tree for each year of his life. We're planting big trees which are expensive to buy and we'll need a mechanical digger to make the holes, but bigger trees are more likely to do well in a park and they'll be a home for wildlife much more quickly than tiny trees. We'll plant a range of trees suitable for a park, so we'll try and get some interesting and rare ones too.
The location is near to where Benjamin and his family lived and it's an area that needs more trees in it.
We're so honoured and excited to be working on this project. It feels a bit like giving back as Benjamin was such a powerful advocate for trees and nature and this is a great way to say "thank you for your work, we miss you and we'll always remember you". So, Trees Please!
What we'll deliver:
Why it's a great idea:
Is there a better way to be remembered than by a tree? Yes, by a forest! The 65 trees will bring extra canopy cover to an area of Birmingham that needs more trees, they'll provide habitats for wildlife, they'll be beautiful and interesting to look at all year round, they'll provide a space to be mindful, or be shaded in hot summers, or to shelter under in rainstorms. There are so many benefits that trees give to an area.
We'll create a digital tree trail around the park so that people can visit and see some information about each tree as they walk around.
Steps to get it done:
- Buying the trees
- Digging the trees and planting
- Benjamin's family planting
