New fruit trees will be gifted to families in a Telford village this weekend as part of a project that sees a new sapling planted for every new baby born there.
Bournville Village Trust, which manages Lightmoor Village, plants a new tree for every child born in the Village as part of its Lightmoor Babies Project.
Following a recent baby boom, nine trees are set to be planted for children and their families on Saturday (14th March) in the Village’s Holywell Orchard.
To date 47 trees have been planted in the Orchard, which is now so full that the Trust has created other areas for future trees to be planted.
Sian Davies, Community Development & Involvement Assistant at Bournville Village Trust, said: “We’re really pleased with how new mums and dads in the Village have embraced the Lightmoor Babies Project.
“The tree planting is a very special way of marking a parents new arrival and something that can be treasured and enjoyed for many years to come.
“Because of the demand, we shall soon be running out of space in the Orchard, but parents won’t miss out as we have created other planting areas so that can continue to run the project.”
Michelle Clamp, whose children Ollie, aged three, and Millie, aged six months, will have trees planted for them, said: “The tree planting project is a really lovely idea. We’re looking forward to being able to visit the trees during the different seasons and decorate them for special occasions like Christmas.”
Lightmoor Village, which has been dubbed the ‘second Bournville’ after taking inspiration from the Birmingham village created by chocolate-maker George Cadbury, could feature up to 1,000 homes once complete.
Being developed through a joint venture by Bournville Village Trust and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), a quarter of the homes in the Village will be available for social rent.
The Village also features a school, day nursery, a cafe, an extra care housing scheme for older people and swathes of open spaces and parkland for residents to enjoy.