Samaritans mark 60th anniversary by planting trees in Stafford park

Volunteers from the mental health charity were joined by Penkside Community Champions, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, families from the local community and Councillors Ralph Cooke, Carolyn Trowbridge and Ann Edgeller.

The group planted the trees at Meadow Road Park on Saturday 25 March at the northern end of the park beyond the basketball court.

Damon Preece, a trustee from Stafford Samaritans said: "We planted a tree for each of our sixty years. We loved that the locals came along, brought families and friends and joined in. The event was the result of a great collaboration between three charities hoping to bring something new to enhance this already lovely spot.

"Many people adopted a tree which they can now watch grow, along with the others, into a quiet place for reflection."

He added: "Penkside Community Champions will also provide a bench for people to sit and enjoy this tranquil little oasis, which I didn’t realise existed until introduced to it by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's Nextdoor Nature project."

The trees were provided by The Woodland Trust’s Free Trees for Schools and Communities scheme, after a successful application by Nextdoor Nature and Stafford Samaritans. Nextdoor Nature is funded by the National Lottery

Heritage Fund and is an initiative to provide people with the advice and support they need to help nature on their doorstep, and leave a lasting natural legacy in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

For more information about this project or Nextdoor Nature, Stafford Samaritans or Penkside Community Champions, please email s.kneill- boxley@staffs-wildlife.org.uk or visit www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/nextdoor-nature-lottery-fund or www.samaritans.org/branches/stafford.