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Helping communities blossom

Blossom in Manchester with pink and white flower graphic placed down right side
Blossom in Manchester | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

We're working with partners to give communities more access to nature through the creation of green spaces and circles of blossom trees. We hope these natural places will give people space for hope, reflection and the chance to celebrate the beauty of spring year after year.

Planting circles of blossom trees

Over a period of five years, we'll be helping to plant circles of blossom trees in cities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We know that nature became hugely comforting to many of you during the pandemic. In 2020 the sight of spring blossom, beautiful but fleeting, brought pleasure and reassurance, reminding us that the rhythm of the natural world continued even though all other aspects of our lives had changed.

But we also know that too few people can connect to nature near where they live. The project will create beautiful spaces for communities to come together and experience the natural world.

What's more, every tree planted will help us meet our commitment to plant 20 million trees during the next decade, which is part of our work to tackle the climate crisis.

Blossom projects at our places

Along with helping cities to blossom, 43 blossom planting projects have started at National Trust places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, supported by CJ Wildlife, Alitex, Crane, Westminster Stone and the National Trust. This 2022–23 project adds 15,000 blossom trees across the places we look after.

Helping cities to blossom

With the first blossom circles being created in east London – an area that saw some of the worst impacts of the pandemic – further blossom-inspired spaces will be following in London's footsteps.

A blossom garden was announced for Coventry as a City of Culture legacy, and Newcastle, Nottingham and Plymouth, confirmed their location and design ideas, funded in part by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. The majority of these blossom gardens were planted in autumn 2021 and opened in spring 2022.

Since then, new blossom spaces in Birmingham, Leeds and Swindon were planted in winter 2022 and are due to be ready in spring 2023. There'll also be a new blossom circle in the city of Manchester thanks to the funding from CJ Wildlife.

Children standing on a blossom drawing on the pavement at St Phillip's Cathedral Square, Birmingham
Children standing on a blossom drawing on the pavement at St Phillip's Cathedral Square, Birmingham, in 2022 | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris
Blossom in Birmingham
Birmingham was once described as ‘a town ringed by blossom’ as it was surrounded by gardens with blossoming trees. We are working with residents, schools and community groups to create a new, symbolic ‘ring of blossom’ and bring more blossom to Birmingham. This winter, thanks to support from the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, more than 500 blossoming trees will be planted around the city’s iconic Number 11 circular bus route. If you would like to hear more about this project, contact us via email at Birmingham-Blossom@nationaltrust.org.uk.
GWR Park, Swindon
At the historic GWR Park, which dates from 1844, 17 new trees were planted last winter in preparation for spring 2023. This blossom circle will give people a beautiful new space to come together under the blossom.
Lenton Recreation Ground and St Mary’s Rest, Nottingham
The blossom trees to be planted at Lenton Recreation Ground in Nottingham are part of the city's ambitions to plant 50,000 trees over two years and will help it meet its target to be carbon neutral by 2028. The project will see 28 ornamental mature cherry trees planted close to the Queens Medical Centre campus, which is part of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Access improvements here will also be made. At St Mary's Rest, an avenue of 20 ornamental semi-mature cherry trees will be planted to create a peaceful sanctuary away from the city.
Burley Park, Leeds
In partnership with Love Leeds Parks and Leeds City Council, we’re bringing a new community blossom space to Burley Park. This park in Leeds is surrounded by the highest density of terraced housing in the country.
Heritage Park, Coventry
Blossom trees will be planted at Charterhouse Heritage Park in Coventry to mark its tenure as City of Culture. We're working with Historic Coventry Trust (HCT), Coventry City Council and with the local community to create the garden, which is being regenerated by HCT to leave a lasting legacy. It’s hoped that the garden will give people a place to reflect, bring benefits for wildlife and provide an important community, health and wellbeing space on the edge of Coventry City Centre.
Exhibition Park, Newcastle
We're helping to create a double avenue near a lake at Exhibition Park, on the outskirts of Newcastle. The blossom circle, near the University of Newcastle and Royal Victoria Infirmary, will see the planting of 26 ancient varieties of the cherry blossom tree Prunus 'Tai-Haku.' The project, delivered by the National Trust, Urban Green Newcastle, Newcastle City Council and the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, will involve NHS staff and the local community.
Devil's Point, Plymouth
A blossom circle will be planted at Plymouth’s Devil’s Point, a place on the South West Coast Path where people wave off family members heading out to sea on naval operations. The trees will be planted in a semi-circle with the design mirroring the blossoming seagrass meadows beneath the waves just offshore. A wash of native wildflowers will feature along with hardy tree species such as blackthorn, that will withstand the harsh coastal weather and also attract insects and birds. More ornamental trees will provide a colourful framing for Plymouth Sound, which is England's first National Marine Park.
Blossom trees lining a pathway on one side with a seating area on the opposite side
The London Blossom Garden in March 2022 | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London

The first of the Blossom Gardens was opened at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on 24 May 2021. It features a total of 33 trees, including cherry, plum, hawthorn and crab apple, representing the city's 32 boroughs and the City of London.

The garden was opened in a ceremony by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who was joined by Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, and representatives from key worker communities such as the NHS, Transport for London and other frontline roles.

Local communities were involved in the creation of the site, which commemorates the lives lost from coronavirus and honours the key workers.

The London Blossom Garden was created in partnership with the Mayor of London with support from Bloomberg, working with Rosetta Arts and landscape architects The Edible Bus Stop and Davies White Landscape Architects.

Our vision is for nature, beauty and history for everyone. Our simple ambition with this project is to bring all of these elements together in the creation of green, nature-rich havens in the very heart of urban areas that are also beautiful and inspiring spaces people can use.

A quote by Hilary McGradyNational Trust Director-General
Scaffolding surrounding the Rotunda at Ickworth, Suffolk, with trees in the foreground

For everyone, for ever

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