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To help celebrate National Tree Week, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Breathing Places teamed up with the Guinness World Records for 'Tree O’ Clock': a nationwide challenge to plant more than 600,000 trees within a single hour (11am – 12 noon on 5th December).

Tree planting at Cooper Perry School

Every tree had to be planted between 11am – 12 noon.
Dozens of people in Staffordshire grabbed their wellies, rolled up sleeves and went out to help set a brand new Guinness World Record.

The final count will take place on Friday 11th - so check back here to see if the record was broken!

Free Trees!

It was a concerted effort. Breathing Places joined forces with PlantforLife to give away over 1,000 trees to get people involved in the world record attempt.

It was all on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s Tree O'Clock website. Click on the link:-

Schools, workplaces and community groups mucked in; and individuals too planted trees on their own.Ìý Just one tree planted in a back garden counted too.Ìý
However, evidence of planting was required to make sure the record is broken!

Events

Check below to see which local community groups volunteered to take part.Ìý

• Seighford (near Stafford) – 60 trees

Pupils, parents and staff from Cooper Perry Primary School in Seighford joined forces with members of the Derrington Way Ahead project. The Derrington Way Ahead low-carbon project donated trees to create a school orchard.
The school told us: "...weather good! And 15 trees were planted within half the time!"

• New Knutton Residents Association, Newcastle under Lyme – 700 trees

Tree O'Clock gets under way in Knutton

This was planting on council land, which was banked up from building an industrial park (Lymdale Business Park), and which local residents regard as a bit of a blot on the landscape.Ìý
Last year the local Residents Association decided to do something about it and with the help of the Woodland Trust, local Newcastle Countryside Project and others (including 100 pupils from 5 different schools), they managed to plant 752 new bare-rooted whips.
The Residents Association decided to repeat the event in 2009, and they have evidence that 1,011 trees were planted for Tree O’Clock by 64 volunteers.

• Shenstone Garden Centre (Lichfield) and Wolseley Bridge Garden Centre (Stafford)Ìý- 300 trees

Shenstone and Wolseley Centres acted as a collection point for people to pick up a free sapling with 300 to give away on a first come, first served basis, while stocks last.

• Beacon Park, Lichfield (250 trees)

Here, there was a planting of coppiced willow branches to create a sustainable willow area in this city centre park.

• Derrington Way Ahead - planting up to 2000 trees

The Way Ahead project was distributing fruit trees to those villagers in Derrington who signed up to the Adopt an Apple Tree scheme. This new project is just one part of the attempt to make Derrington the first low-carbon community in Stafford Borough.
See:ÌýÌý www.derringtonvillagehall.btik.com/