Residents collect free trees in Syston

Hundreds of residents collected their free trees from Syston at the weekend.

The borough council once again teamed up with the National Forest and partner idverde to run the scheme and give away 5,000 trees to residents.

Cllr Roy Rollings, lead member for transformation said: “We’re committed to ensure 100,000 trees are planted in Charnwood over the next four years and this scheme is one of the ways we intend to make our borough even greener.

“The scheme has received a positive response from residents, and it was great to see so many people in Syston at the weekend collecting their trees.

“For those who didn’t manage to apply for a free tree this time, I’d encourage them to keep an eye on the Council’s website for when we run the scheme again later this year.”

Households and community groups were able to choose up to three trees, with a choice of three varieties; holly, hazel and cherry plum.

Trees were allocated on a first come first served basis and people had the option to collect the trees from either Syston or Loughborough.

Officers will be at Derby Road Playing Fields in Loughborough on Saturday January 25 handing out more trees to people who applied through the Council’s website.

idverde manages the borough’s parks and open spaces on behalf of the Council.

The National Forest is right in heart of the country, embracing 200 square miles of the Midlands. It spans across parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire and aims to link the two ancient Forests of Charnwood and Needwood.