A WALK in the park is proving to be one of the most popular Wellington walking trails so far produced by the town council.

The Wellington Park tree trail was only launched at the start of the summer and gives some of the history of a dozen standout specimens in the grade two listed Edwardian gardens.

They range from some which were planted 122 years ago when the park was built to a Wellingtonia planted in 2022 as part of the late Queen’s Green Canopy initiative and which is expected eventually to grow to nearly 300 feet tall.

The guide was produced by staff in-house with paper copies which can be picked up from the council’s new reception office in Fore Street and a digital version available via its website.

A council spokesperson said: “Wellington Park has some stunning trees and we wanted to celebrate them with a dedicated tree trail.

“This free leaflet takes you on an informative walk around the park, highlighting 12 significant trees along the way.”

One of the highlighted trees is a weeping willow next to the park’s pond

The spokesperson said: “Weeping willows generally only live for about 75 years, but as this one has been expertly cared for throughout its lifetime it is still going strong at over 100 years old.”

Another is a western red cedar near the Beech Grove entrance to the park, a species known to live for more than 1,000 years, which has its heavy lower branches resting on the ground.

Ownership of the park passed from Somerset Council to the town council in April of this year, meaning decisions on its care are taken locally for the first time in more than half a century.

The four-and-a-half-acre park was awarded a Green Flag again this year as a mark of its environmental excellence.