A new environmental festival will debut in Petersfield this month and attendees are expected to have a tree-mendous time.

Petersfield Climate Action Network’s (PeCAN) ‘A Fruit Tree in Every Garden’ project is branching out this year with a Festival of Trees.

People are invited to the Petersfield Community Garden on Saturday, February 22, from 10am to 2pm, to join PeCAN to celebrate the benefits and importance of trees. Those who have purchased fruit trees from PeCAN, and others who have taken part in Petersfield Town Council’s Front Garden Tree Planting Initiative, will be able to collect their trees at the event.

Over the past four years, PeCAN has distributed nearly 2,000 fruit trees for gardens across East Hampshire. This year the group smashed its target and closed sales at 1,200 more! Types of trees available included apple, crab apple, pear, plum, cherry, apricot, and filbert (cobnut). Participants will be supplied with a stake and planting advice.

The Festival of Trees will offer visitors expertise on how best to care for fruit trees. There will be sessions on planting and pruning, throughout the morning. Experts will be on hand to advise about soil suitability and planting for the future - with climate change in mind.

It is an event for the whole family, with craft stalls, lichen trails, warming refreshments, and activities for children within the Community Garden.

Planting trees not only helps to lock up carbon from the atmosphere – it can result in a legacy of increased biodiversity, wildlife protection, shade provision and flood mitigation.

The event is supported by Petersfield Community Garden, EHDC and Petersfield Town Council, who will also distribute trees.

Prior to the festival, PeCAN’s monthly Eco Pub will be at The Square Brewery, Petersfield, from 7pm to 9pm on February 19.

Find out more at: https://petersfieldcan.org/.