Wellingborough crematorium has 364 trees planted as part of Queen’s Green Canopy

A total of 364 trees have been planted at Wellingborough's Nene Valley Crematorium as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.

The tree planting on-site combines 68 trees planted by Kier and 296 planted by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC).

Kier had leased some of the land from NNC close to the prison during the construction of HMP Five Wells and the land has now been returned - with added trees.

The majority of the trees were planted late in 2021 as part of landscaping works undertaken by NNC and consisted of boundary planting and three memorial gardens.

Cllr Harriet Pentland, NNC’s executive member for climate and green environment, said: “Planting trees has so many benefits, not only for our planet, but for our communities and wellbeing, as well as future generations.

"I am so pleased that we are able to continue to play our part in this important initiative by planting more than 350 new trees at Nene Valley Crematorium.”

Further trees will be planted until the end of the planting season in late March, before additional trees are planted towards the end of 2022 to coincide with the next planting season.

Cllr Helen Howell, NNC’s deputy leader and executive member for sport, leisure and culture, said: “The Queen’s Green Canopy project is a great initiative. Our teams are working hard to plant as many trees as possible before the end of the planting season in March and we are encouraging anyone who hasn’t planted a tree to get involved - there is plenty of information online to help you get started.”

NNC is working closely with the Northamptonshire Lord Lieutenant’s office to help encourage tree-planting activities across the area, as well as planting trees on NNC land, in the lead-up to Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

Cllr Jason Smithers, leader of NNC, added: “Developing the natural environment in North Northants remains a key priority for us and new trees will continue to be planted across the area on NNC owned land, but this is a team effort and together we can make a huge difference to our local area.”

For more information and how to get involved, visit Queen’s Green Canopy. You can also find out more details about tree planting and permissions.