People from Burnley will be adding some extra greenery to their gardens this spring after taking part in the town’s Big Tree Giveaway.
The event – which was organised by Discover Burnley, Budding Burnley and Charter Walk shopping centre – saw 400 trees handed out to people free of charge to help raise awareness of the importance of connectivity to nature.
Held at Charter Walk’s sensory walkway, the giveaway included Beech, Elder, Hazel and Willow trees, with Laurence Miles from Budding Burnley on hand to provide advice and guidance in relation to planting and on-going care.
The lucky recipients are being encouraged to send photos of their planted trees to Discover Burnley, who will share a range of the snaps with their followers and chart the growth of the trees over time.
The Big Tree Giveaway forms just one part of a range of initiatives Discover Burnley is delivering with town centre partners over the coming months to foster inclusivity and encourage footfall.
A true community initiative, Budding Burnley was created to give something back to local people, and is currently growing a variety of fruit and vegetables with the help of volunteers.
Burnley BID Project Manager, Laura Diffey, went along to the Big Tree Giveaway and was pleased to see so many people getting involved.
“It was heart-warming to see people from all over Burnley visiting the sensory walkway to pick up one of the fantastic trees to plant at home.
“Connectivity to nature is so important, especially in town and city centres, and hopefully this initiative will help to add that little extra bit of greenery into people’s lives all over the town.”
Budding Burnley’s Laurence Miles echoed Laura’s sentiments, commenting: “Trees play a vital role in a number of eco-systems and are crucial to the health of the planet – the more there are in Burnley, the better!
“The Beech, Elder, Hazel and Willow trees will make fantastic additions to the gardens of Burnley. I can’t wait to see pictures of them planted and hopefully see them flourish as they grow.”
To find out about events like this in Burnley and to see what’s taking place over the coming weeks and months, head to the Discover Burnley website – www.discoverburnley.co.uk/whatson/.
