The 400th tree has been planted in a Lake District wood in memory of a Cumbrian conservationist.
Family and friends of Jamie Normington planted a Sessile Oak in the RSPB’s Celebration Wood at Wild Haweswater.
Jamie died in April last year, aged 53, after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
For the past 15 years, Jamie worked tirelessly for Cumbria Wildlife Trust as training and education manager.
In 2019 Jamie took on the challenge of the 200-mile Coast to Coast walk, from St Bees Head to Robin Hood’s Bay, to raise funds to place copies of the book The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, into 200 primary schools across Cumbria.
Jamie was also the popular compere of the Music on Nature event at Kendal Mountain Literature Festival.
He was also involved in the Nature Chronicle Prize, an award for nature writing.
The Sessile Oak was planted by his family and close friends, led by his wife Bea, who is the RSPB’s Celebration Wood officer, manging the project.
Bea said: “Jamie was the most interesting husband I could wish for. He made me laugh, took me out for adventures, he was my librarian, my walking encyclopaedia, my chef, my best friend and my rock. He made me mad at times restacking the dishwasher and banging pans in the kitchen but I always forgave him because he was the love of my life.
“One of his biggest passions was connecting young people with nature. He was never happier than sharing his wildlife wisdom with people – whether that was a group of primary school children, the young adult apprentices at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the volunteers he worked alongside, or with me on our many wild walks together. He was also a mischievous, loving and unique son, brother, uncle and friend. He was always there if anyone needed him.”
The RSPB’s Celebration Wood was set up on February 1 2022 by Bea, next to the mossy temperate rainforest of Naddle Forest.
It is one of several conservation projects at Wild Haweswater.
Bea added: “Planting the 400th tree is an incredible milestone for Celebration Wood. I am fond of every tree planted but this one is particularly close to my heart in memory of my husband Jamie. When I started this project four years ago, I wasn’t sure how the public would respond but it has been unbelievable.
“Every tree in Celebration Wood has a story – whether planted to mark a special occasion, anniversary, birthday, wedding, retirement or in memory of a loved one’s life.
“Jamie and I planted two trees here for our silver wedding anniversary in 2023, so his memory can be felt throughout Celebration Wood, supporting the wildlife that he was so passionate about.”
Donations for a tree planting cover the cost of growing and caring for the tree as well as the ongoing maintenance of Celebration Wood.
To discover more about planting a tree, visit: https://bit.ly/CelebrationWoodHWR
