Children return to woodlands to see tree planting progress (From Gazette Series)

Children return to Alveston woodlands to see tree planting progress

2:13pm Thursday 14th October 2010 in Thornbury news By Liza-Jane Gillespie

CHILDREN who helped to plant trees at the Memorial Woodlands in Alveston three years ago have returned to see how they have grown.

In October 2007 Memorial Woodlands invited children from St Helen's Primary School, Alveston, to plant apple trees at the site as part of the annual apple day celebrations.

Chris Hiatt Baker, founder of the 100 acre woodland burial ground, said: "Trees are very important to us at Memorial Woodlands; planting local apple trees is just one of the ways in which we can help to preserve our local arboreal heritage and we are delighted to see the children back today to help us Celebrate Apple Day once again."

Three years on the children have been invited back to see how both they and the trees they planted have grown.

Thomas Bale, now 12, has moved on to Castle School, Thornbury, and was pleased to see how the trees had grown, He said: "I'm surprised how big they are' he said, adding 'we had a lot of fun planting them and it is nice to see them again, some of them even had apples on."