THE latest community news from Llanilar

WI

NFWI Wales has launched a two-year Natural Heritage Tree Project to help preserve, protect and plant urban trees. As the project aims to engage WI members in being champions of trees in their local community, some Llanilar WI members have taken up the challenge. At a recent meeting, three of the members brought everyone up to date on how the project was progressing here in Llanilar.

Cynthia Wainwright started by informing members how they had got on with the survey of the trees. Three trees were chosen, two in the Millenium Lake area and one in the primary school grounds. They were to measure the trees and report on their condition.

Barbara Bartholomew then reported that the information they had collected was to be uploaded to programmes on the computer called OPAL Tree Survey and Treezilla.

Pamela Jennings, who was mainly responsible for the project, said, in answer to a question regarding the value of trees to the community, that the trees in the Millennium Lake area acted as a screen from the adjacent car park. Village children play in the area and seats have been placed under trees by the lakeside to provide tranquil resting places for those taking advantage of this village community facility.

As to the significance of the trees surveyed, the trees by the Millennium Lake were planted in 2000 as part of a restoration of the area to mark the millennium.

The WI planted a tree there to mark their centenary in 2015.

The oak sapling in the school grounds was planted by the 2012 Llanilar Carnival Queen to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

It was provided by the Woodland Trust and grown from an acorn on one of the Queen’s estates.

Contact was made with the after-school club and the Llanilar Brownies and Pamela was very grateful for their co-operation, encouragement and enthusiasm.

Pamela had prepared a large board where half of it showed a picture of a large tree and the other half showed the children’s artwork and photographs of the children engaged in their activities.

Photographs and related information will be assembled in a scrap book.

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