Hope that trees become mighty oaks
A FUNDRAISING effort has been successful in reaching its target to buy four mature oak trees for Singleton Park in Swansea.
The Friends of Singleton Park (FOSP) have raised just over £1,000 with a Gofundme page to pay for the trees, which will now take pride of place in the park and replace those lost in recent years to disease and storms.
FOSP is a group of volunteers who meet to do gardening and clearing work in the park and are seeking to support projects that enhance the park in terms of enjoyment for the wider community.
Sue Davies, a member of the group, said: “Earlier this summer a mature beech tree was lost due to public safety concerns.
“It had been affected by heartwood fungus and despite careful monitoring it was deemed unsafe.
“It was decided that our first fundraising project would be to replace some of the trees that have been lost recently due to disease and storms, along with raising public awareness of how and why trees can fail and that it can’t all be left to central funding as this is an urgent issue.”
She added: “The Swansea Council tree team has been active, especially over the last 20 years, but in the main, most of the tree stock was planted over 100 years ago.
“Mature trees have such value to the environment and eco systems as well as our enjoyment that there is no time to be lost. “Our chosen trees are oak as they are native to the UK and have been prevalent in the park.” Each of the oaks will cost £230 to buy. Sue explained: “Mature trees are expensive because growers have taken the risk of early failure and young trees need protection from drying and storms. “We are aware that little whip trees are much cheaper, but we wanted something that was more established. “I am delighted to say that our goal has been reached and we have enough money for our four oak trees. “We will leave the campaign open for a short while longer, just to catch any last donations. “Thank you so much to everyone who has helped.” FOSP said it would be guided by Swansea Council’s tree team as to where to place the trees to give them the best chance of success. Sue added: “By continued planting we hope that future generations will enjoy the same mature trees and impressive skyline as previous generations have. “Many people stated that the park was so valuable during the lockdown periods of Covid-19, so we believe urban parks like Singleton should be especially nurtured.” Further projects are on the horizon for the park, said Sue.
It was decided that our first fundraising project would be to replace some of the trees that have been lost recently due to disease and storms Sue Davies, Friends of Singleton Park