idverde sponsors Colchester's popular tree giveaway scheme

Registered Contractor member idverde Colchester team was delighted to join its client, Colchester Borough Council, to deliver the annual Trees for Years event on Saturday 3rd February.

Now in its twelfth year, this much-loved scheme provides over 2,000 free trees and fruit bushes to local residents, community groups, schools and town or parish councils.

This year’s event saw 2,018 trees available for free, and over 700 local residents braved the cold on the day of the giveaway, many arriving in advance of the advertised opening time of 10 am to bag up to three trees for individuals, or 15 per school, community group, or parish council.

Trees up for grabs this year included Acer Campestre (Field Maple), Betula pendula (Silver Birch), Cornus (Dogwood), and Corylus Avellane (Hazel), along with fruit bushes such as blackcurrant, raspberry, and gooseberry.

This is the second consecutive year that idverde, which maintains the Borough’s parks and green spaces, has sponsored the event. Members of idverde’s Colchester team were on hand on the day to help distribute the trees and provide advice to local residents on which trees would be suitable for their gardens.

Cllr Tina Bourne, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Communities, said: “It was wonderful to see so many residents take the opportunity to brighten up their gardens, allotments and communities with a free tree or fruit bush. The event is always hugely popular, showing that Colchester residents share our commitment to creating an attractive and even greener place to live."

"This great scheme has been running for 12 years, so well over 24,000 trees and fruit bushes have now been planted throughout the Borough.

“I’d like to thank idverde Colchester for sponsoring this year’s event and for their generous donation of such a wonderful variety of trees and shrubs.”

Rob Wilson, idverde’s Operations Manager helped support the event on the day, and said: “It was a pleasure to be able to support Colchester’s Trees for Years giveaway once again. The day was a great success, with over 700 people turning out on a very cold Saturday morning to collect the free trees to plant up in their gardens, and by noon all the trees had been claimed, and the clearing down process began. We hope the trees will flourish in their new homes and provide many years of pleasure to Colchester’s residents and community groups in the years to come.”