National Tree Week provided an excellent opportunity for members of Sheet Scouts to head out into the community and plant a mini-orchard.

During the Tree Week, which ended on December 4, they joined up with Petersfield resident Phil Paulo, and tree warden John Lees, a councillor on Petersfield Town Council and chair of the Ramshill Residents Association, to find somewhere suitable to plant the saplings.

And they identified a piece of land in the Ramshill estate that had become overgrown with brambles.

Scout leader Craig Smith said: “The Scouts spent a couple of sessions clearing the brambles.

“And once it was free of them, they planted ten apple trees, including Bramley seeding, idared, jonagold and selected crab apple trees.

“Once the tree are mature, apples they produce will be available for the local community to collect and the crab apple trees will act as pollinators for the wider community orchard.”

Phil added the tree planting season in the UK runs from November to the start of March, when tree saplings are dormant. This means now was the best time to plant a sapling and it was important to follow the principle of the ‘right tree in the right place’.

John thanked the Scouts, not only for planting the trees for clearing the land.

He said they had made it so much nicer for the residents of Ramshill estate and improved biodiversity on the estate.

The trees will also become part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.

The initiative was launched in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

For more information about the groups and initiatives involved in the project visit https://sheetscouts.org.uk/ or https://treecouncil.org.uk/tree-wardens/east-hampshire/ or https://queensgreencanopy.org/