Relatives and friends of the person(s) to whom the tree is
being dedicated should be invited to come along to the
Service as well. It can be quite a moving experience.
It may also help to identify which tree is which by putting
the name of the person to whom a tree is dedicated on a
piece of paper (temporarily) attached to the tree for the
duration of the Service.
TREES IN MEMORIAM
8/ You will need to ascertain from the Council whether
people can erect their own plaque on the tree or at its base.
However, be prepared for the Council to forbid this. It may
be for mowing purposes if at the base or if on the tree to
prevent damage to the tree. Make sure when people buy that
they are aware of any such restriction, but you can tell them
that you have a Book of Remembrance in which all the
details will be entered and available at whatever local centre
you have chosen.
For a copy of a Service Sheet and also a Tree Poem, which
can be used in the Service, please contact C Terry Knowles,
(a member of the RIBI Environment Sustainability Group)
at 13a Old Barber, Harrogate HG1 3DF – Tel 01423 525014
or [email protected]
A LIVING MEMORY
This scheme should be done in conjunction with
your Local Authority and will give many people
lasting pleasure and memories.
Many people buy benches or other memorials
dedicated to loved ones or even to commemorate a
special event such as a Golden Wedding or birth of a
child. However a lot of these memorials are only
short lived as benches eventually disintegrate and
memorials get damaged over the years. They can
also be quite expensive costing £400 or more for a
bench.
Buying a tree means that there is a living memorial
for very many years to come.
If you want to set up a scheme:1/ Contact your Local Authority and see where they intend
planting trees or where they may already have planted them
within the last few years, preferably in a prominent park or
open space.
2/ Ask them if you would be allowed to sell those trees on
their behalf to members of the public as a memorial for
loved ones as a substitute to, say, a park bench.
3/ Ask them to provide a plan, showing the location of the
trees, their species and the price they want. It is helpful if
the trees are along a roadside or in a single line as it makes
numbering and identification easier. A suggested price-
range would be about £80 for a newly planted tree up to
£250 for older more established trees.
4/ Make it known through the Press, old people’s homes,
hospices etc that this service is available, having appointed
a member of your Rotary Club to oversee the scheme. It is
suggested that a cover charge of £5 per tree is added to the
price the Council require to meet any expenses.
5/ Explain to the Council that by selling these trees, they
will then have money with which to plant more trees.
However also get an undertaking that if a tree which has
been sold should die or be vandalised, they will replace it
free of charge or that you would be able to give them
another tree in lieu as a last resort.
6/ Set up a Tree Register (called ‘Trees in Memoriam’) in
which is entered the full name of the person or persons
(there can be more than one – e.g. husband and wife or even
a family) to whom the tree is being dedicated; the type of
tree; its location; and the date of purchase (or the date it was
dedicated – see below). Arrange for the Register to be kept
in a prominent place such as the local library or museum.
7/ When 3 or 4 trees have been purchased in any one
location, it is nice to have a Tree Dedication Service. This
could be conducted by any member of the Rotary Club who
is ordained, or, if none willing or available, the Vicar of the
nearest Church could be invited to come along and do it. A
Saturday morning is often a good time.