Flower Pod Newark was delighted to welcome the Woodland Trust for their second event celebrating our joint Hawtonville Community Tree Project.

In December we planted trees on site with the Trust and launched a partnership project.

The Woodland Trust are currently working with the local community to find the best places to plant more trees across Hawtonville. Project activities will include working with staff and clients at the Flower Pod Newark to learn about trees and how to care for and plant them.

The Woodland Trust’s new Tree Equity Score tool identifies Hawtonville as having just 6% tree coverage — the lowest in Newark. This compares to a regional average of 15% and national average of 19% urban tree cover, measured at the neighbourhood level.

During their second visit to site, Woodland Dwelling, an urban forestry company who work with the Woodland Trust, brought donations of eight apple trees. The team assisted Flower Pod clients, volunteers and the local community with planting the trees in an Espalier formation (tying the branches of the trees in a line), following the entrance path from Flower Pod gates. Once developed the trees will bear much fruit and blossom. At the event in December we planted wild service and birch trees from a local tree nursery in Lincolnshire.

As part of the event, attendees also got a masterclass in pruning fruit trees and enjoyed some Apple Wassailing, a traditional winter ceremony to bless fruit trees. Katy from the Woodland Trust led us in singing to warn off evil spirits, while others banged wooden instruments and cymbals. Bread soaked in apple juice was placed on the branches of the trees and warm apple juice poured on to the tree roots to promote growth.

To culminate the event, participants enjoyed a glass of warm apple juice. Lots of fun and laughter was had by everyone who attended, and we learnt a lot about caring for and growing apple trees.

The team will be back for another visit as part of The Woodland Trust’s Hawtonville Community Tree Project.  Adam Cormack, Woodland Trust said “One of the aims of this project is to work with the local community to find new locations for planting trees around Hawtonville and today we’ll be speaking to some residents about this ahead of more community consultations this spring.”