Tree-mendous Effort
11 January 2010
Church Village bypass engineers joined forces with local
residents to enter a Guinness World Record event to plant 200 trees
next to the £90million highway project.
As part of National Tree Week, BBC's Breathing Places encouraged
people to plant as many trees as possible within an hour on the
same day in an effort to break the world record.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's contractors for the bypass, Costain,
in conjunction with Capita Glamorgan and landscaping
sub-contractors UPMTilhill, welcomed almost 150 local residents to
Parc Nant Celyn in Efail Isaf to plant the trees.
Braving the elements, the Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf Cllr Robert
Smith, and his consort Mrs Margaret Smith, started the proceedings
by planting the first tree at 11am.
Local ward member, Cllr John David who is also Chair of Llantwit
Fardre Community Council and fellow councillors Margaret Burtonwood
and Joel James soon followed suit. Residents enthusiastically
joined forces to plant the 200 trees in a staggering 40
minutes!
Cllr Smith said: "This was an exceptionally successful community
event which brought together engineers, councillors and neighbours
alike to not only break a world record but make a lasting impact on
the surrounding area.
"The tree planting will not only reduce the traffic volume on
nearby homes, but also greatly enhance the local environment for
the benefit of future generations."
Barry Woodman, Church Village bypass Project Manager for
Costain, said: "We were delighted to be able to support this event
and it was an ideal opportunity for us to mark the start of a
comprehensive landscaping plan for the area.
"The plan will involve planting over 28,000 trees and shrubs
over the next twelve months which is a significant increase on the
number of plants that, unfortunately, had to be removed to allow
construction of the bypass."
Ian Walsh, Director of Capita Glamorgan added: "As a member of
the construction partnership we were pleased to be involved in such
a worthwhile event and I have every confidence the landscape plan
will greatly enhance the finished project."