Arun District Council plants more trees in Mewsbrook Park
Mewsbrook Park will soon be blossoming with more trees after eleven cherry trees were planted on Wednesday 21 December.
A tree planting event was held by Arun District Council in partnership with Friends of Mewsbrook Park to plant the eleven flowering cherry trees at the prime time of year for them to thrive. Despite the wet weather, the Chair of Arun District Council, Cllr Samantha-Jayne Staniforth, was joined by the Leader of Arun District Council, Cllr Shaun Gunner, and a number of councillors and the parks dedicated volunteers.
The project was originally proposed by Head Gardener Rik Elliott and has been jointly funded by the Friends of Mewsbrook Park and Arun District Council. Both of whom will continue to work together to do the ongoing maintenance needed to see the trees thrive.
The project is part of the council’s 10-year Tree Planting Strategy which began in 2021. More than 33,000 trees are set to be planted in Arun as part of the strategy which will help to improve woodland habitats and increase our tree canopy and the number of trees on our land.
It forms part of the council’s wider strategy to tackle the climate change emergency as trees help to slow climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide as they grow.
Talking about the trees being planted in Mewsbrook Park the Chair of Arun District Council Samantha-Jayne Staniforth said:
“The tress will form a new avenue of cherry trees on the north lawn leading to the children’s play area. Not only will they look great once they are in full bloom, but they will offer many benefits to the environment.
These trees mark 62 standard trees being planted in the Arun District this year and we’re excited to plant more and more in the coming years.”
Leader of Arun District Council, Cllr Shaun Gunner said:
“I was delighted to join the Friends of Mewsbrook Park, council staff and fellow councillors planting these cherry trees in Mewsbrook,and getting suitably muddy in the process!
Residents across the district tell me they want to the council planting more trees, and I’m delighted that these cherry trees will further add to our goal of 33,000 extra trees in Arun. This goes to show, once again, how the council is doing the things the public care about.”
Friends of Mewsbrook Park said:
“The group has been unable to have much impact during the pandemic, so it is great to finally be able to assist again and help deliver this project. We look forward to working on further projects next year. The group is keen for new members to come forward and join with us in making Mewsbrook Park the best place possible for visitors and wildlife. You can find us on Facebook so do drop us a line!
The flowering cherry trees have been carefully selected knowing that this species can generally cope with the difficult growing conditions which prevail in coastal parks. These trees will offer an important contribution to our environment throughout their lifetime and because they flower they will be a valuable source of nectar for pollinators early in the spring.
Our funding contribution has been made possible with the help of the Asda green token scheme, so our thanks and gratitude all those shoppers who chose to support us and to Asda for the funding.”
You can find out more about what trees are to be planted in the future in the 10-year Tree Planting Strategy and keep an eye on our social media and website for more updates.