Peterborough’s iconic trees

PECT (Peterborough Environment City Trust) is always looking to share its love of trees, and back in August launched a city-wide competition looking for photographs of Peterborough’s favourites...

‘We ran this competition because we wanted to hear from members of the public about the trees that mean something to them,’ explains PECT’s CEO Carly Leonard. ‘We wanted people to submit their pictures and let us know about the connection they have with their local trees and why they’re so important to them.’

The winning photograph was submitted by city resident Roger Proudfoot. He explains: ‘There is a sad story attached to this tree and I thought it could be a worthy winner to mark its passing. It is the Ash tree at the entrance to the old part of Waterville village. The tree has a girth of 5.2 metres which potentially puts it as the 4th oldest ash tree in the whole of the UK according to the Tree Register and could be anything between 280-500 years old – a true veteran and an icon for the local community.’

‘Sadly the tree had a fungal infection at its base and was condemned for health and safety reasons and had to be felled. I thought it would be a very fitting tribute for this Peterborough icon to be entered into the competition. I wanted to mark its passing and to celebrate all the inspiration and visual enjoyment the tree has given to successive generations of Peterborough residents.’

Find out more
PECT would love for people to get involved with Forest for Peterborough – whether it’s donating, volunteering at the tree planting days, or providing land for planting on.

For more information, call 01733 568408, email or visit www.pect.org.uk. You can also find the charity on Twitter @SustainableCity.

And don’t miss…

Moments with Trees
Another tree project within the city, Moments with Trees run by Nene Park Trust, will be hosting a variety of tree themed events and activities during National Tree Week. These include: the launch of two self-guided tree trails, one in Lynch Wood and another at Woodston Reach; tree illuminations events for all who like to take photographs; winter twig identification walks for those who find it difficult to identify a tree without its leaves and a tree dressing day to decorate some of Ferry Meadow’s most notable trees and celebrate an old tradition. All events and activities are free, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.