Wrexham sweet chestnut in the running for European Tree of the Year

Hot on the heels of being crowned the UK’s Tree of the Year at the end of last year, a 480-year old sweet chestnut tree in Wrexham’s Acton Park is in the running to be crowned European Tree of the Year – with public votes open from today.

The stately tree is well loved by locals for its history, value and beauty - and is often used as the centrepiece of picnics and local tree parties. It previously secured 17% of the overall votes for the Woodland Trust’s 2023 UK Tree of the Year competition, which focused on celebrating ancient and veteran trees in urban spaces across the UK.

The tree itself has an impressive circumference of 6.1m and a height of 24m. It has withstood many challenges during its half-millennium, from post-war plundering of Acton Park for firewood in the forties to dozens of deadly storms, including that of 2021 when many neighbouring trees lost limbs or were toppled completely.

Now, to celebrate the sweet chestnut’s continued recognition, Wrexham Borough County Council has planned two public events at Acton Park which put the tree at the heart of the community’s celebrations:

• Acton Park Dog Show, Sunday 11 February, 11.30am - 4pm

With Acton Park being heavily used by local dog walkers, this event – taking place right in front of the sweet chestnut tree - will offer eleven different classes for dog owners to sign up to, and a nail-biting final for Best in Show. Stallholders will also be offering refreshments and woodland crafts, and people will be able to vote for the sweet chestnut as their European Tree of the Year.

The Acton Park Dog Show is open to all. Classes will come with a £1 entry fee with proceeds going to charity.

• Love your Trees - Valentines Special, Wednesday 14 February, 1-3pm

This self-guided trail around Acton Park will encourage families and couples to visit twelve significant trees around the park – including the sweet chestnut – learning facts about the history and biodiversity of each. An accompanying ‘love themed’ worksheet for families will also offer chances to win prizes, and a photo booth at the site of the sweet chestnut tree will encourage plenty of shares on social media – and hopefully, even more votes!

The Love Your Trees Valentines event is free to attend and open to all.

Trees are well-known and celebrated in Wrexham. In 2022 Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust in Wales) awarded a total of £294,845 from its Emergency Tree Fund to Wrexham County Borough Council to support the Wrexham Forest partnership project, which seeks to increase trees and woodland across the county. Through implementing its Tree and Woodland Strategy and engaging partners, businesses, groups and individuals, the project is creating a county-wide, collective commitment to enhancing and protecting trees and woodland.

Wrexham Borough County Council has also made its own public Woodland Pledge to help protect trees and woodlands across the county borough - and encourage anyone to join, including those who are part of a local business, community group or organisation.

Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for the Environment said: “We were thrilled to get the Wrexham sweet chestnut shortlisted for UK Tree of the Year – and even more so when we won, with a healthy 17% of the public vote. We hope that the people of Wales will get behind this remarkable tree once again – and help take home a Euros win for Wrexham!”

The public is encouraged to vote for the Wrexham sweet chestnut and help to crown it 2024’s European Tree of the Year. Voting is open now at www.treeoftheyear.org.

Notes to editors

For more information please contact the Woodland Trust press office or Jane Cook on hello@talktojanepr.co.uk.

About the European Tree of the Year competition

The European Tree of the Year contest originated in 2011 and was inspired by the popular Tree of the Year contest organised in the Czech Republic by the Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation for many years. The European round is a finale, consisting of the winners of the national rounds.

Every year in February, the online voting for the European Tree of the Year is organised by Environmental Partnership Association (EPA). The first European voting was organised in 2011, and since then the number of countries involved in the contest has risen to 16.

To find out more, visit www.treeoftheyear.org.

About Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales

The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has over 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife. The Trust has three key aims:

• Protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
• Restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
• Plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 29,000 hectares. These include over 100 sites in Wales, with a total area of 2,897 hectares (7,155 acres). Access to its woods is free, so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.

The Trust’s Welsh language name, Coed Cadw, is an old Welsh term, used in mediaeval laws to describe protected or preserved woodland.

About The Emergency Tree Fund

The aims of Coed Cadw’s Emergency Tree Fund are to boost green spaces for health; plant trees to soak up harmful carbon and combat pollution; and create detailed strategies to meet carbon zero targets.

In total, over £2.9 million has been distributed to councils across the UK, forming a key part of the Woodland Trust’s ambitious aim to plant 50 million trees by 2025.