A commemorative English oak (Quercus robur) was planted on March 16th on Littlehempston’s community land to commemorate the purchase of Lot 7 by the village on 15 March 2018. Pictured here, braving a howling sou’westerly, are Skye Price, Mike Thomas, Jenny Galton-Fenzi, John Floyd who supervised the operation, and Jim Price. Thanks to John Todd, who dug the hole – it took him longer than he thought, as he hit the foundations of the old building that used to be there, and dug up a lot of stone, and what might be limestone flags. Thanks also to Isabel Rodwell who funded the purchase of the sapling by raffling her quilt.
The oak joins the ten new apple trees that were planted in the orchard in January, each one in memory of a local resident. The Lot 7 trustees are taking orders for more apple trees for an autumn planting in memory of people with a special connection to Littlehempston. Cost is £35 per apple tree, and another £30 if you want a brass plaque. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.
It is said that oaks spend 300 years growing, 300 years living and 300 years dying. But English oaks are also vulnerable to climate change. What kind of changes will our oak see?