IF YOU’RE around Alexandra Park over the next week or so you might notice something a little different.

A small community group has been busy creating leaf buntings to celebrate the beauty of trees, and they displayed them for all to enjoy.

The group, which goes by the name ‘Garden by the Sea’, have made all the prints with materials they find lying around at home.

“We have put them in the trees, on railings and on the bandstand, and they give the park a festive feel in these difficult times,” group member Christine Glossop said.

“We used children’s paint, old curtain lining, and of course with leaves lying around our parks and gardens, you’ll find birch leaves, beech leaves, oak, hazel, horse chestnut, hawthorn, gingko tree, and more.

“We’ve written some messages on them too from our individual members – whatever people felt they wanted to express.”

The buntings were hung up on Sunday November 22, and they will remain in the park for two weeks.

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Explaining how the group has coped with the impact of the pandemic, Ms Glossop said: “We started meeting regularly in September in Alexandra Park on Sunday mornings until the firebreak lockdown.

“Since then we’ve been carrying on the conversation online, but we’re really looking forward to being able to meet up face-to-face again, when it’s safe for us to do so.

“It’s been very positive to be able to continue to do something in the current situation. And in some ways, Covid has forced us outdoors to meet in the park. That’s been positive.”

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She added: “We’re aware that not all environmental groups appeal to everyone. But the scale of the environmental crises will affect everyone.

“A lot of people do want to respond but aren’t sure how. We would like to find ways of communicating more effectively about the crises and learning more about the concerns of others.

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“We want to raise awareness amongst the community through artwork and talking to people about the urgency of responding to the climate and nature crises, but we want to focus on how we can respond in positive ways.

“We decided to focus on trees this time because trees are essential for our health and wellbeing, they keep our air clean, they absorb the damaging carbon and release oxygen which we need to breathe.”