Sponsor a Tree

It was 20 years ago that the Civic Society started a sponsorship scheme in partnership with St Albans City and District Council, giving local people an opportunity to make a memory and help create a greener, cleaner St Albans. Over the years we raised over £35,000 and together planted thousands of trees in parks, recreation grounds, private gardens and churchyards – plus the 33 London Plane trees in St Peter’s Street.  As a mark of each sponsor’s generosity, they were offered a chance to have a page created in a Tree Book of Remembrance.

The trees were planted in places where they meant the most to the sponsors. Dedications in the Tree Book were varied too – celebrating a loved one, an event, a pet, an inspiration, friendship… each with illustrations by local artists, firstly Linda Williams and then Lynette Hirschowitz. The scheme has now finished but you can see images online and the Tree Book is held the Civic Centre and can still be viewed. See also the Society’s Tree Charter.

Twenty years on and the UK government has now set itself the target of increasing England’s woodland, cover to 12% by 2060, with a pledge to increase tree planting to a target of 30,000 hectares annually from 2023 until 2050, which is in line with the Woodland Trust’s recommendations. This will help contribute to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, improve biodiversity and help encourage nature recovery. In St Albans itself, the draft new Local Plan and the Tree and Woodland Strategy are ambitious about tree conservation and planting.

Highfield Park Trust manages the only charity-funded park in St Albans. Covering 82 acres of the grounds of two former mental health hospitals, Highfield Park has a long history and its tree planting can be traced back to the Edwardian gardeners who competed with other hospitals to create arboretums stocked with exotic trees from over the world.

Located in the Hill End district on the eastern edge of the central St Albans unparished area, Highfield Park has orchards, meadows, ponds, allotments, gardens and amenity land as well as woodland. The Trust runs lots of activities and events there.

The Highfield Trust’s tree sponsorship scheme funds new planting and conservation work. You can choose one or more of 40 named and very special trees and areas to sponsor for one or more years, and will get a personalised certificate describing your choice of tree and regular emailed updates on developments and ongoing projects. At just £25 for each year of sponsorship it is a simple and practical way to make a difference and support this important piece of Green Belt. For more information go to https://www.highfieldparktrust.co.uk/sponsor-a-tree/