Saplings planted as a legacy to the town

THE seeds of legacy were sown in Littlehampton last week when children and WI members united to plant two new trees in the town.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Mar 2015, 13:53 BST
The pupils of River Beach Primary Schools eco-council and mayor Jill Long helping to plant a tree D15103140aThe pupils of River Beach Primary Schools eco-council and mayor Jill Long helping to plant a tree D15103140a
The pupils of River Beach Primary Schools eco-council and mayor Jill Long helping to plant a tree D15103140a

Nature-loving pupils from the eco-council at River Beach Primary School, in York Road, Littlehampton, joined forces with the Littlehampton WI to plant the new flora at Caffyns field, last Wednesday.

The youngsters were the last batch to leave their mark as part of the town’s Big Tree Project, which has seen 1,345 new saplings planted in recent months.

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While the women from the WI were marking the centenary of the institute nationally, by planting their seedling, a flowering cheer tree.

Members of the Littlehampton WI pictured with the towns mayor, Jill LongD15103141aMembers of the Littlehampton WI pictured with the towns mayor, Jill LongD15103141a
Members of the Littlehampton WI pictured with the towns mayor, Jill LongD15103141a

Trina Hopper, president of the Littlehampton wing, said: “It was fun having the children there.

“It was like having our grandchildren there with us.”

Trina added: “We wanted to do something lasting to mark the centenary.

“Tea parties or open days are only fleeting – it’s only for one day. We wanted to somewhere people could bring their grandchildren for years to come.”

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Littlehampton mayor Jill Long was there to join in with the action, having been invited by the WI.

She said everyone was in high spirits despite the low temperatures.

The mayor added: “I know that not one of us will be there at the next centenary but it will be nice to be able to walk past it in years to come and remember who was there on the day.”

The Big Tree Project was led by Arun Biodiversity Forum and Arun District Council’s parks team.

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It concluded, in earnest, last month and formed part of the Big Tree Plant, a national Government-sponsored effort which saw one million new trees planted across the UK over several years.

Dee Christensen, senior community parks officer at Arun, said the children loved being able to join the WI and plant their own tree.

She added that the effort on Caffyn’s field had even encouraged some unexpected support from other local youngsters living nearby.

“We had three local lads who were not River Beach students but students at another school saying they wanted to help water the trees and keep people playing football in the park away from them which was really lovely,” she explained.