We’re pleased to announce that we have raised £9000 to create a fabulous new cherry blossom walk in Preston Park.
We were amazed to hit our target in less than two weeks, and we were told by JustGiving that we were one of the top 1% of most successful fundraising in September! This is thanks to all of you who were so responsive and generous in your donations. It was a great community effort and every single donation was very much appreciated by us all.
As soon as we reached our target, we were able to set work with the arboriculture team of City Parks, and they have been able to order 40 Prunus X Yedoensis trees, which are the traditional Japanese white flowering cherry blossoms. As they have a flat canopy that spreads 8-10 metres, we will be able to plant the trees 10 metres rather than 5 metres apart for the same effect. We will also be able to plant up both the path between the tennis courts and the Rose Garden and the path from the front of the Park to the former Bowling Pavilion, thus completing the whole project in one year rather than two.
The trees will be delivered around Christmas in 45-litre pots, and they will already be between 2m and 3m high. The advantage of them being potted rather than bare-rooted is that when they are planted the trees will put all their energy into growing upwards rather than into developing their roots first. As our appeal has now reached £9000, we will also be able to fund the securing stakes, green bags for watering and other related planting costs. Any remaining funds will be used for the commemoration plaque and signage.
We will let you know when the trees arrive and when planting will start, in line with weather conditions. We will need plenty of volunteers for digging the holes for planting! We are now closing the Cherry Blossom funding appeal, so once again, a big thank you to you all.