Volunteers from Transition Town Wellington’s community gardening team got together to celebrate National Tree Week by planting hawthorn, oak, lime and beech trees at Dormouse Wood, near Jurston Farm.

The trees were provided by the Somerset West and Taunton Council – in part to offset the carbon produced from last year’s Taunton ice rink – and Wellington Town Council teamed up with TTW to find a suitable place for the trees to flourish for maximum environmental benefit.

Deputy Mayor Mark Lithgow joined the group to help with planting. After making sure everyone knew the rules for Covid-safe working, Helen Gillingham demonstrated how to plant a tree, with a stake and tie to support it. Everyone then headed off, alone or in family ‘bubbles’, to get the trees in the ground.

Dormouse Wood is a series of three fields which will form a wildlife corridor and will eventually be a place where the public can enjoy the outside space and wildlife which live there.

Hazel dormice were found in the area when Jurston Fields housing estate was in development. The woodland was created by the developers, C G Fry & Son, to help mitigate the environmental impact of building works and it is hoped the site will soon be in public ownership for everyone to enjoy.

Dormouse nest boxes can be seen in and around the woodland, and surveys have found a good number of dormice in the area. Dormice are known as a flagship species – their presence indicates a healthy and biodiverse landscape. Their numbers have at least halved in the last 100 years and they have become extinct in at least six counties in the UK. It is hoped the trees that were planted will grow up to be perfect for the now-hibernating dormice.

People in the Wellington area can be part of the national tree planting campaign, featured on BBC One television programme Countryfile. You can add your tree or any plants and bushes to the interactive map at www.plantbritain.co.uk Wellington’s new dormouse-friendly trees have already been added.

Cllr Peter Pilkington, executive member for Climate at the district council, said: “Making small changes such as planting trees is integral to our long term aim of creating a more sustainable future for everyone, putting climate and environmental responsibility at the heart of everything it does.”Laura Cooper