Tree and bench sponsorship at BWT
Bearsted Woodland Trust (BWT) was created to be an area of natural woodland, rather than a memorial park.
Over the past 14 years BWT has benefitted from the sponsorship of more than 450 trees and around 65 benches. However, we decided in 2020 that since the need for new tree planting had greatly diminished only Members who joined before September 2020 could now sponsor trees, providing they became Life Members (If you are in that category and wish to sponsor please contact us). And, because no more benches were required, sponsorship of new benches would no longer be possible.
However, although our tree sponsorship scheme is partly suspended, we have recently been given a new piece of land adjoining the Ashford Road and a new planting scheme is being considered, alongside our plans for car parking on part of the site. This may offer new tree sponsorship opportunities during 2021.
Sponsored trees: decoration
Because BWT was created to be an area of natural woodland, we ask all tree sponsors not to decorate trees with large objects. Small tokens may be placed on trees temporarily but should be removed after seven days. Failure to remove small tokens will mean they will be collected by BWT maintenance teams and may be destroyed.
Sponsored trees: plaques
When our trees were seedlings, plaques had to be attached to stumps in the ground.
Now, after more than fifteen years, many of the the stumps have rotted, so we are gradually removing them and supplying new plaques which can be hung on the actual trees, whose girth is now sufficient to make this possible without damaging the tree. This also protects plaques being damaged by strimmers cutting grass. We are continually trying to improve the lasting quality of the plaques we provide.
BWT keep a full inventory plan of all sponsored trees and benches.
