The Tree Council presented a plaque to honour the Council’s environmental dedication and good work with voluntary organisations in co-ordinating local Tree Warden Networks for a decade or more.

Dave Lofthouse, Arboriculture Manager and Coordinator of the Golden Jubilee Woodlands at Morden Park, accepted the award on the Council’s behalf.

“The award ceremony was a fantastic event following the launch of the Jubilee Woodlands earlier this month,” Dave said.

“We have worked with our Tree Wardens on so many different projects to widen the community’s interest in our local environment and engage people of all ages.

“It is wonderful to see that the hard work of these volunteers is not going unnoticed.

Merton Council was one of a number of tree champions from across the UK at the ceremony last Thursday 12 December to receive awards for protecting the nation’s trees and woodlands through the Tree Council’s decade-long National Grid Tree Warden Scheme.

Tree Wardens, their local network co-ordinators, officials and politicians met at the special reception in the House of Commons, hosted by Brian Donohoe MP, Vice President of the Tree Council.

The Tree Council, the lead UK tree campaigning charity, launched its countrywide Tree Warden Scheme in 1990. Ever since, it has continued to co-ordinate the scheme and work with partners to develop and maintain local Tree Warden Networks. National Grid has sponsored the Scheme since 1997.

The Tree Council’s Director of Community Projects, Jon Stokes, National Coordinator, said: “Without long-term support from local authorities or other co-ordinating organisations the efforts of individual Tree Wardens would not be so effective. These Tree Council Awards are our way of recognising all this hard work and saying thank you to those who have run local networks with such commitment over the past 10 years.’

ENDS

Press enquiries only:

Barbara Hall: 020 8858 4154
Jon Stokes, 023 9238 5095, mobile: 07850 389862
Pauline Buchanan Black, 020 7828 9928, mobile: 07753 690495

PHOTO CAN BE EMAILED AS REQUESTED

Pictured with the engraved wooden plaque, presented to honour the Tree
Council’s National Grid Tree Warden Scheme are (from left): Gareth
Llewellyn, National Grid’s Group Head of Safety, Environment and Corporate
Responsibility; Dave Lofthouse, Arboriculture Manager, London Borough of
Merton; and Kevin Hand, The Tree Council’s Director of Campaigns.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Tree Council

Conservation charity the Tree Council, the