Eastbourne Borough Council has declared a climate emergency, and has set a target of 2030 for the town to be carbon neutral. In Eastbourne, we’re especially affected by the loss of thousands of ash and elm trees to disease.
We are focussed on getting trees planted, on both public and private land. We’re working with the council, and independently, to find sites – large and small – where we can plant trees. We’re also raising the money to buy them, enlisting the volunteers needed to plant them, and planning and managing the planting projects.
Founding principles
1. Trees must be the right trees – in the right place. Projects should not be displacing other ecologically valuable habitats (e.g. priority, semi-natural or other habitats that may also or could provide significant carbon capture and/or biodiversity benefits).
2. Wherever possible, sites/projects should, alongside Greenhouse gas capture, look to maximise native biodiversity.
3. Projects should encourage community engagement from people of all socioeconomic backgrounds; and look to engage schools and schoolchildren where possible.
4. There has to be a resourced or costed plan (with evidence of funding) for aftercare of trees for usually a minimum of 3 years (depending on the nature of individual planting sites, this aftercare period may be longer). This aftercare usually involves weeding, control of competitive scrub, tree guard maintenance and subsequent removal, or for street trees – watering.
5. We should only plant native species, ideally locally grown or at least UK provenance – unless there are exceptional circumstances – e.g. it is impossible to find alternatives – eg disease resistant Elms; or there is strong evidence that a particular tree species is the most suitable for a location/soil type under future climate change scenarios.
6. Planting sites or projects should be sustainable – not require undue use of resources or carbon to enable planting, and onward maintenance of new trees.
7. Sites should be safe, and if at all possible accessible for all ages and abilities – with a presumption that volunteers can reasonably access the sites via foot, cycle, or public transport. Any risks to volunteers can be adequately controlled.
8. Treebourne as an entirely volunteer run organisation, has sufficient capacity in its core team, and volunteer base, to work on and successfully complete the project.
Greening Eastbourne streets – Treebourne has been awarded a major grant by the Urban Tree Challenge Fund to plant 1,000 streets trees over the next two years. Encouraging community involvement was a key part of our successful bid and so we are inviting people to suggest where the trees will be planted. Will will also be launching a Tree Champions scheme giving volunteers the chance to look after the trees as they grow.
Sevenoaks Rec Our first site, identified by the council some time ago as a park that would benefit from complete regeneration, with vast, poorly used open spaces, low tree cover and limited wildlife. By planting thousands of trees in Sevenoaks Rec, we can not only help the battle against climate change, but massively improve the park and the quality of the natural environment for local residents.
THE NEW LIFE MAY BE GROWING MORE THAN YOU THINK ✨ NOT EVERY SACRED SHIFT SHOWS ITSELF RIGHT AWAY, BUT IT CAN STILL BE DEEPENING WITHIN YOU ✨ APRIL 21, 2026
“Dear friends, one of the most important parts of any real transformation is learning not to measure everything by immediate outer proof. There are days when the energy moves clearly, the signs feel obvious, the responses come quickly, and the path seems to shine back at you. And then there are other moments, when the movement becomes less visible, but no less real.
These spaces can be deeply meaningful. Because they often reveal whether we are willing to remain with what is true even when it is not being immediately confirmed from the outside. They show us whether we can continue honoring what has begun, even when the next sign has not yet arrived. They ask whether our faith in the shift depends only on momentum, or whether something deeper is beginning to root within us.
With the Sun now in Taurus, there is wisdom in this slower and more grounding rhythm. Taurus does not rush to prove what is growing. It roots. It stabilizes. It gives life time to gather substance. It reminds us that not everything sacred is loud, and not everything real is immediate. Some of the most important changes begin beneath the surface, then deepen through steadiness, patience, and repeated self-honoring.
And if the past hours have felt a little more stirred, sensitive, restless, or energetically charged, that too may be part of a G1 geomagnetic solar storm moving through our planet. But even when the atmosphere feels stronger, the deeper invitation remains the same: to stay close to what is true, to move more gently with yourself, and to let steadiness become part of the medicine.
For many, this may be part of the deeper lesson now. The new life may not need to perform in order to be trusted. The next chapter may not need to announce itself in dramatic ways in order to be true. Sometimes the soul is simply asking you to stay close to what has already been shown, to keep choosing what feels more aligned, and to stop assuming that a slower rhythm means nothing is happening.
This is where deeper maturity begins. It is easy to believe when the signs are bright. It is more transformational to remain devoted when the process becomes less visible, more interior, and more subtle. This is often where the becoming deepens. Where the roots go down. Where the nervous system begins learning that stability itself can be a kind of grace.
So if things feel less visible right now, do not rush to assume that nothing is moving. Not all sacred growth is dramatic. Not all confirmation arrives right away. Sometimes the new life is deepening more than you realize, asking only that you remain honest enough, patient enough, and faithful enough to keep meeting it where it is already growing. Have a beautiful day. Much love” 💖
Johnson’s Willow stands beside Stowe Pool in Lichfield. Planted around 1700, the original tree became famous for its great size and its connection with Lichfield’s most famous son, Samuel Johnson {1709-1784}- author, lexicographer and humanitarian. When Johnson was young, he would have often seen the Willow, which stood next to his father’s parchment factory, and whenever he returned to Lichfield in his later years. He is reported to have described it as the delight of my early and waning life.
The First Willow c1800
The Willow also attracted the interest of the Lichfield poet Anna Steward {1742-1809} and the American poet Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson {1737-1801}.
In 1781 Johnson asked Dr Trevor Jones of Lichfield to write a detailed description of the tree, which is still an important source of information.
The Lichfield Willow (Johnson’s Willow) in July 1785
This engraving of the Lichfield Willow, based on a drawing by Edward Stringer, appeared in The Gentleman’s Magazine for August 1785
Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson
In 1787 Fergusson wrote two long ‘Odes on the Litchfield Willow’, in which she celebrated Johnson and other cultural figures who might have walked and studied under the Willow’s boughs. To further boost the tree’s claim to fame, she created for it an ancestry stretching right back to the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, and passing through the gardens of classical Greece and Rome before arriving in Lichfield. In this way she made the history of the Willow a metaphor for the transmission of civilisation and the arts from the ancient world to modern Britain. She expressed the hope that the Lichfield Willow’s ‘Emblematic Boughs’ would ‘ages Hence wave ore the Brows/Of true Poetic Swains’.
Three stanzas from Fergusson’s first Willow ode are quoted below.
In her second ode, she expressed the hope that a cutting of the Willow would one day reach America to symbolise the spread of cultures from Britain to the New World; this hope was finally realised in 2024 by the planting of cuttings at Graeme Park near Philadelphia {Fergusson home}, Vassar College {New York State} and other locations in the USA.
Oh may we hope some tender twig, The Willow well can Spare Some thriving, blooming, verdant, Sprig; May yet be wafted Here!
Elizabeth had hoped that her Willow odes would (like a number of her other compositions) appear in The Columbian Magazine; for some reason, however (possibly because of difficulties in deciphering her handwriting), this did not happen. Brief extracts were quoted in books and articles, but the full text of the odes remained in manuscript until the appearance of the first complete edition in 2020.
The tree eventually became decayed, and in 1829; however, a cutting from it was planted on the site in 1830 to become the Second Willow, which was itself blown down in a great storm in 1881.
The Third Willow – again a true descendant – was not planted out beside Stowe Pool until 1898; in 1956 it was found to be unsafe, and was felled after cuttings had been taken to raise a new tree.
The Fourth Willow was planted in 1959 as part of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Johnson’s birth. Because of decay and concerns over safety, it was felled on 8th October 2021, after being pollarded in 2014, 2016 and 2018 to prolong its life.
The Fifth Willow after its planting. Photo by Stephen Brierley
The importance of preserving the tradition of Johnson’s Willow had, however, been recognised by both Lichfield District Council and the Johnson Society, who had been working together to repeat the replanting process once again. In 2018, cuttings were taken from the current tree; these were tended and raised by the District Council’s Parks Department, and one of the saplings grown from them became the fifth incarnation of Johnson’s Willow.
The Fifth Willow was planted on 2nd November 2021 with a ceremony which included the reading of a new poem about Johnson’s Willow by Sarah Dale, hers was the winning entry in the Johnson Society’s Willow poetry competition.
The window of Johnson’s Birthplace in June 2021, created by Sarah Dale
Today, Johnson’s Willow is an important part of Lichfield’s heritage, and remains, for residents and visitors alike, a much-loved link with Johnson and his age.
Johnson and His Willow Sure Phoebus’ Son was Johnson named He various talents Shared! Verse, Genius, Knowledge, Wisdom claimed A Genuine Bard Declared! His native Soil he oft Retrod, which Reared this wondrous Tree; With filial Love marked the abode Of Both their Infancy. Thus when in Future each is known to Bloom with lengthened years He like His kindred Willow Shown yet Vernal both appears!
Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, ‘Two Odes on the Litchfield Willow’ (extract from first ode, transcribed from manuscript, with modernised spelling)
Johnson’s Willow stands on the north side of Stowe Pool in Lichfield. To reach it from the cathedral end of Dam Street, turn down Reeve Lane, then take the path nearest to the pool, which runs along the embankment; the Willow is located next to this path, at the point where the parallel lower path is joined by one running from Gaia Lane (see map).
Johnson’s Willow crosses the pond
The Johnson Society – which co-ordinated the project as a whole – presented bronze plaques for the cuttings at Vassar College and Graeme Park. Ceremonies were held at both sites in September 2025; these were attended by representatives of the Johnson Society, who were grateful for the hospitality shown to them, for the appreciation of the work that had gone into the project, and for the care being taken of the young willows.
Professor Robert DeMaria, Jr planting a Johnson’s Willow cutting at Vassar College, 3 May 2024The young willow beside the pond at Graeme Park on 11 September 2025
The Johnson Society wishes to thank Paul Niven of Lichfield District Council, Dr Sage Thompson and Dr Joseph Foster of the United States Department of Agriculture, Professor Robert DeMaria, Jr and his colleagues at Vassar College, and Carla Loughlin and Beth MacCausland of Graeme Park for their support and participation in this project. Thanks also go to the staff and volunteers at Vassar College and Graeme Park who devotedly care for the young willows.
In the stark, grey woodlands of a UK March, Common Ivy (Hedera helix) provides the only dense splash of green climbing our trees. To a casual observer, it looks like a hostile takeover.
The greatest gardening myth is that ivy is a blood-sucking parasite slowly strangling the forest. In scientific reality, ivy uses its aerial roots purely for grip; it does not penetrate the bark or steal the host’s sap. Rather than harming a healthy tree, it acts as a thermal “scarf,” protecting the trunk from the severe freeze-thaw temperature swings of late winter.
Right now, its ecological value is peaking. March is the notorious “hungry gap” in the UK—a brutal period when winter food stores are depleted, and spring insects have not yet emerged. During this critical window, ivy is heavy with ripe, fat-rich black berries. These berries are an absolute lifeline for our resident Blackbirds (Turdus merula) and declining Song Thrushes (Turdus philomelos). Furthermore, its thick evergreen canopy provides the only reliable, weather-proof cover for early-nesting birds like the Wren to build their sanctuaries safely hidden from predators.
Ecological Action: Stop severing the thick ivy vines at the base of healthy, mature trees.
Ivy isn’t a weed choking our woods; it is the very architecture of spring survival.
The text is a famous quote attributed to the character The Lorax from the Dr. Seuss book of the same name, emphasizing environmental conservation.
Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) was inspired to write it after seeing eucalyptus trees being cut down near his home.
The book was written in 1971, just as the environmental movement was gaining momentum in the US.
The Lorax’s Appearance: The character was inspired by the patas monkey, which shares the Lorax’s mustache and depends on whistling thorn acacia trees.
The Lorax’s Role: The Lorax acts as a guardian, standing up against the Once-ler, who cuts down the Truffula Trees for business.
The phrase has become a slogan for environmentalism, but it also reflects the work of people like Diana Beresford-Kroeger, a botanist and author of “To Speak for the Trees,” who blends scientific knowledge with ancient Celtic wisdom to advocate for the protection of forests.
The full quote is: “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.”
Detailed plans are being crafted to create more than three hundred hectares of new woodland in Staffordshire – which will make it the largest newly-planted forest in England in the last 20 years.
The site in Abbots Bromley could fit around 750 football pitches within it and Forestry England says it will be called Bagots Park Wood.
Bagots Park Wood from above 1 & 2Gate into Bagots Park Wood
It is hoped it will connect vital habitats already supporting animal species and plants such as the spotted marsh orchid.
It will also aim to improve the habitats of other wildlife including badgers, bats, newts and birds.
Paddy Harrop, central director of Forestry England, said: “Creating a woodland on this scale is a rare and exciting moment for us.
“It’s not since before 2005 that we’ve had an opportunity on this scale, and this project represents a major investment in the future of Staffordshire’s natural landscapes.
“Local people can look forward to spending time in this new woodland which will be a lasting natural asset for generations.”
Forestry England is now beginning its detailed planning and will work closely with communities and organisations as proposals take shape.
Draft designs will be shared later this year as part of a public consultation to help residents shape how the new woodland grows.
Using extensive site surveys and climate science, Forestry England says it will plant a mix of carefully selected tree species and weave open spaces throughout the site.
It says this approach will create a “mosaic of habitats able to adapt and thrive in a rapidly-changing climate”.
As the woodland grows, it will also lock up carbon, support wildlife and eventually contribute to a sustainable timber supply as part of the UK’s green economy.
Once the new woodland is established, Forestry England will open up a total of more than 600 hectares of woodland for local people to explore. This will include Bagots Park Wood, as well as over 300 hectares of additional land at the neighbouring Bagot Forest, which is already managed by Forestry England but has not previously been open to the public. With access to both sites, local people will be able to explore new and mature woodland side by side.
The project is funded through the government’s Nature for Climate Fund and forms part of Forestry England’s wider programme to create new, climate-resilient woodlands across the country. Since 2021 they have planted more than 2 million trees across 17 new woodlands covering more than 1,140 hectares. Each woodland is designed to withstand the threats from climate change, pests and diseases, and biodiversity collapse so they flourish in the future.
Sir Winston’s grandson, Lord Soames of Fletching said its removal was a “wicked thing to do” and questioned why access could not have been moved to accommodate the tree.
Campaigners have lost their fight to prevent the felling of a tree planted to commemorate the death of wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
In the village of about 600 people campaigners had amassed more than 58,000 signatures on a petition to save the “Sir Winston” oak.
Despite a number of alternative suggestions for entrances to the site, including making a roundabout with the tree in the middle, Cossington Parish Council was told it would be felled “by the end of February”.
The oak, planted in memory of the famous politician, was removed on Friday to create an entrance to a new housing development in Cossington in Leicestershire.
The Reverend Dr John Yates and Jack Meadows, chairman of the parish council, at the planting in 1967
Villagers said they were devastated to see the tree, planted in 1967, cut down.
Developer Bellway said there was no alternative access to their 130-home development off Main Street.
Penny Weston-Webb
“I can’t bear to even see the site [of the tree],” said Penny Weston-Webb, 86, who was at the planting ceremony.
Weston-Webb, who cried after the tree was removed on Friday, said villagers had hoped to persuade the developer to spare the tree and find an alternative route into the estate.
“We have done everything to try to keep it. It’s such a shame to have lost a part of our village’s history. I am devastated, I really am,” she said.
Ms Weston-Webb added: “To a lot of people it was a memory of the Second World War. A lot of people from the village fought and we lost quite a few.”
Her father, Winston Martin, was blind in one eye, meaning the Army did not call him up for service during World War II.
Instead, he converted his hosiery factory to making parachutes for British troops to “do his bit”. “He would be horrified,” she said of the tree’s felling. “He loved the village.”
Villagers have been lobbying councils to save the tree since planning permission for the homes was approved in 2022.
Emma Crowe, clerk of Cossington Parish Council, said: “We are all very saddened.
“The tree was a highlight in the village.”
Crowe said the tree’s trunk had been salvaged and there were plans to sculpt it in a theme connected to Churchill with the resulting work of art then displayed somewhere in the village.
Villager Ian Bott, who was 10 when the tree was planted by then parish council chairman Jack Meadows, said he went down to watch the tree being removed.
“It was not a good day for me and it is a very sad time,” he said.
A sapling has been grown from one of the Winston Churchill tree acorns, which villagers hope to replant in the village
Residents gathered sombrely on Friday morning to watch workers reduce the tree to a stump in a five-hour procedure.
Leicestershire County Council, which is now led by Reform UK, said the oak was not the subject of a tree preservation order. Its highways department approved the development plans, alongside Charnwood Borough Council.
‘No Alternative Access’ A sapling has already been grown from one of the specimen’s acorns and is to be planted nearby.
A spokesperson for the developer said: “Bellway is due to start work on a new development of 130 homes in Cossington in the coming weeks.
“The land was purchased with outline planning permission in place which required the removal of the oak tree at the entrance to the site, with the consent of Leicestershire County Council’s highways department.
“There was no alternative access point.
“Bellway has liaised with the parish council since purchasing the land and progressing through the final stages of planning.
“Following this, Bellway agreed to hand over the remains of the tree to the parish with the intention for a sculpture to be created.
“In addition, Bellway will plant a number of new trees on site as part of the landscaping plan for the development.”
Wood isn’t just a material to me… it’s alive memory made solid. A tree doesn’t rush. It listens while it grows. It feels everything… storms, drought, sunlight, soil, long winters, gentle seasons. And instead of reacting in fear, it adapts. Every year, it responds to life as it actually is, and that response becomes part of its body.
The rings are memory. Wide rings show years of ease and abundance. Tight rings show years of stress, cold, fire, and scarcity. Nothing is skipped. Nothing is erased. Even the hard years are honored. The tree learns how to survive without panic, how to bend without breaking, how to stay rooted when everything around it is changing. That wisdom becomes structure.
When a tree is cut, that memory doesn’t disappear. It stabilizes. The wood still carries the experience of patience, resilience, and balance. That’s why it feels the way it does to us. Wood calms the nervous system. It grounds us. It creates a sense of safety without saying a word. Our bodies recognize it… because it grew the way we are meant to live.
Most advanced worlds rely on materials that obey… metal, crystal, synthetics. Metal obeys. Crystal amplifies. Wood remembers. It doesn’t force energy. It harmonizes it. It relates instead of dominating.
Wood is a bridge material. Rooted below, reaching upward, standing in the middle as witness. That’s why it shows up at thresholds… homes, instruments, temples, cradles, doors, and crossings. Not because it’s primitive… but because it’s wise.
Earth is rich because it grows forests.
And when we remember that, stewardship replaces extraction… and living worlds are honored again.
This colossal Yew tree {Taxus baccata} stands in the churchyard of St Bartholemew’s in the Herefordshire village of Much Marcel, Ledbury. The village is easily accessible by road and is located in a picturesque part of the English countryside, near the Malvern Hills.
It is vast, held up by a collection of wooden props and more ornate iron poles. Her estimated age has been set at 1500 years old, with a girth of almost 31 feet! Perhaps the most striking aspect of the tree’s size though is that set of benches set up inside, it really is that big.
In 2006 work was carried out to remove as much dead wood as possible to give the Yew a chance at thriving through the 21st century and beyond, this operation yielded six tonnes of waste which took eight trailer-loads to dispose of. New growth is evident in all parts of this grand old dame so this was a job worth doing – Hugh Williams
Natalia Joanna
Revd Val Tait, Rector of the Cider Churches Benefice, explains: “We are honoured to see our lovely Yew included in this list of ancient trees, as part of the late ‘Queen’s Green Canopy’. {The Queen’s Green Canopy listed 70 Ancient Trees which were dedicated to Her Majesty in celebration of the Platinum Jubileein 2022}.
The tree was featured some years ago in the BBC series “Meetings with Remarkable Trees” and has been praised by arboreal experts form Kew Gardens.
Lorne Wilden
The tree receives many visitors through all seasons of the year. As well as those who come specifically to seek it out for its history and importance as an ancient tree. It is especially popular for wedding couples to have a photograph seated together within its hollow, after their marriage in the Church. Walkers and cyclists find it a peaceful place for a rest with their refreshments.”
HISTORY
Grid ref: SO65703273
A 13th century church, with a tree even older. The well known Yew grows on the south side. One month after the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953 the Reverend Graham Holly and Ernle Kyrle Pope of Homme House measured the girth of the tree. According to one Visitors’ Book for that year, at the height of 4 feet 6 inches from ground level, the girth was 30 feet and 1 inch. As mentioned above in 2006 the tree was again measured. At the same height from ground level, the girth had increased to 30 feet and 11 inches.
The Parochial Church Council have a certificate stating that the tree is at least 1500 years old.
Yews have long been associated with churchyards in Britain, particularly because of their symbolic links to eternity and immortality. In ancient times, they were considered sacred, with some yews believed to have been planted on the sites of pre-Christian pagan worship. In the case of the Much Marcle Yew, it is thought that the tree could have been standing long before Christianity took root in England, and may have been a focal point for spiritual activities.
The yew tree’s extraordinary age means it has been a silent witness to much of Britain’s history.
Beyond its symbolic and historical significance, the Much Marcle Yew is also ecologically important. Yews are long-living trees, and their resilience makes them a key feature in Britain’s ancient landscapes. The tree supports a diverse ecosystem, providing habitat for various species of wildlife, and its hardy nature exemplifies the yew’s importance in both cultural and environmental heritage – Kate Burton, Atlas Obscura, October 2024
Tree Weaver 