Thousands of saplings planted in friend's memory

More than 650 volunteers and schoolchildren have helped create a community woodland by planting 3,800 native saplings.

The trees are being planted in Frome, Somerset, in memory of local resident Moko Sellars, who died in 2022 aged 39 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Common alder, goat willow and English oak were among the trees chosen for the site at Spring Gardens.

"The idea started with a few trees planted in memory of a beloved friend and grew to something much bigger than one person: a woodland project that has brought the entire community together," said James Hamilton, a friend of Sellars who led fundraising for the project.

The landscape architect said he felt Sellars would have been happy to be a part of the project herself.

The woodland would be a "sanctuary for people and wildlife for generations to come", he added.

At the centre of the woodland is a clearing, where a memorial tree to the mother-of-one has been planted by her family and friends.

"This has been a truly incredible community effort – and no small feat of logistics," said Mark Dorrington of Frome Town Council.

"All that was needed was people to do the planting, in a crucial window of time – and Frome provided."

The project is a partnership between the landowners, who have granted a 99-year lease free of charge, Frome Town Council and Moko Sellars' friends and family, who raised £25,000 for the cause.

Frome Town Council is now consulting on whether to install play equipment at the site.

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