The largest planting achievement in a single Croydon residential road in living memory.

ECCO organised a civic ceremony on Wednesday evening to mark the occasion.   The 45^th tree was planted by Civic Mayor Cllr Alisa Flemming outside the Oval Tavern,  in front of a large crowd of local residents.

Cllr Flemming praised residents,  Council staff and councillors who had worked together to achieve the project.   “A road which had no trees now has 45.   This glorious outcome shows what can be done when we all work in partnership,” said Cllr Flemming.  

Cherry and amelanchier trees have been planted in equal number,  providing colour and vibrancy through the whole year.

The project was funded by a Forestry Commission grant channelled through the GLA and supplemented by a £10,000 contribution from Network Rail.

Other speakers at the ceremony were Cllr Patricia Hay-Justice,  Cllr Scott Roche (Cabinet member for the Environment),  Executive Mayor Jason Perry,  and Oval residents Max Kenna and Melanie Felten.

Cllr Hay-Justice gave warm praise to the close and cohesive community of Oval Road,  applauding their efforts to make the street cleaner,  safer and greener.   Max Kenna welcomed the planting,  while reminding the guests that the road had had quite a few problems,  and that some of them still required attention.  

Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator Melanie Felten recited Housman’s famous “Loveliest of Trees” a most apt poem for the occasion:

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

Cllr Roche and Mayor Perry urged Croydon community groups to develop local tree-planting initiatives.    “The Council is supporting the not-for-profit enterprise Trees for Streets,”  Mayor Perry reminded residents.   “This is a great opportunity for people to club together to fund tree-planting in streets and parks across our borough.”    

The link is https://sponsor.treesforstreets.org/provider/croydon-borough

In drawing the ceremony to a conclusion,  I mentioned specifically the name of Helen Lomasney,  the Council’s former Green Spaces Development Officer,  who had formulated the development plan for the road and the successful bid to the GLA.  I also reminded residents and guests that Helen had canvassed the possibility of Oval Road becoming a Conservation Area,  an idea I will leave with residents and councillors to reflect upon.

After the ceremony,  many residents and guests accepted the invitation of Esther Sutton,  Landlord of the Oval Tavern,  to take refreshment which she had provided in the covered garden.   ECCO is most grateful to Esther for her generosity and for the attentiveness of Amber,  Lucy and Michael who are part of the Oval Tavern team.

Jerry Fitzpatrick,  ECCO Clean and Green Street Champion