Parish and town councils across South Cambridgeshire are being given free commemorative blossom trees by the District Council - to honour community volunteers and remember those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The trees have been provided for this year’s UK-wide COVID-19 Day of Reflection - which takes place on Sunday (8 March 2026).
South Cambridgeshire District Council offered all parish and town councils a free wild cherry tree – with 58 taking-up the offer. The idea is for the trees to stand as living tributes to the strength and compassion shown by the community during the pandemic.
The trees are being provided with plaques that honour the volunteers who gave their time and care to support those in need and remember all who were impacted and those who lost their lives.
The Council hopes the trees will grow as symbols of resilience, kindness and hope for generations to come.
The pot-grown wild cherry trees are typically about two metres tall and can reach 12 metres at maturity after around 50 years. They have been delivered to parish and town councils during the last two weeks so that local planting ceremonies can be arranged with local communities ahead of this Sunday.
Within the first 24 hours of the initial COVID-19 lockdown being announced by the Prime Minister in March 2020, South Cambridgeshire communities immediately began to self-organise to create local village and town based voluntary support networks.
In many parts of South Cambridgeshire, the immediate response was to ensure those at greatest risk were fully supported by volunteers who could help carry out shopping, collect prescriptions, walk residents’ dogs, and ensure no one was suffering from social isolation. This proactive approach from local volunteers was the driving factor behind the way the District Council organised its resources to enable a full coordinated response.
As well as support from the District Council’s staff, district councillors led from the front to work with their communities and voluntary groups to ensure the needs of a diverse range of groups were met.
The result was a network of 105 groups, with over 4,000 volunteers at their peak, covering every parish in the district so no one was left unsupported.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Henry Batchelor, said: “The community response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Cambridgeshire was astonishing. We saw an incredible support network established – with thousands of volunteers caring for those in need. We hope this simple act of providing beautiful blossom trees will stand as a poignant reminder of how the community supported each other – as well as providing a space for reflection and to remember those we lost.”
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