Our arboreal manuscription correspondent Angus Young outlines way for you to get involved in an exciting new tree-based storytelling project.
Here at Curiosity we love a question with the potential for multiple answers. It’s also something central to a new 18-month project being developed by Hull and East Riding Friends of the Earth called Tree Stories. The idea behind the project is a simple one – an open invitation to anyone in the region to tell a story about their favourite tree.
The story’s structure is entirely up to the person telling it. “You can respond in whatever way feels right,”explained local climate artist Lauren Saunders, who is co-designing and managing the project with Hull and East Riding Friends of the Earth. “There may be a tree that inspires you or calms you, or maybe you enjoy watching wildlife that lives in it. You may know of an unusual tree, a tree with an interesting story or folklore, a tree that is important to local wildlife or a tree planted in someone’s memory. Maybe it’s a story from your imagination or a tale that the tree itself might want to share. Whatever makes a particular tree special, we want to hear about it.”
All stories together with associated images and videos can be submitted via an online form available on the Hull and East Riding Friends of the earth website. (See supplemental materials, below.) From there, each story will be uploaded to a specially-curated Digital Forest on the website to create an interactive online archive of favourite local trees.
The Forest map aims to highlight where tree cover is low, where heat and flood risks are high and how air quality in some places could be improved. “By noticing, connecting and caring for the trees around us, we can protect what we have, plant more and help greener, cooler and more resilient neighbourhoods for everyone,” said Lauren.
To make the project as inclusive as possible, flyers giving information about it have been translated into Arabic, Kurdish, Polish and Romanian reflecting the four most common community languages spoken in the Hull area. If you’re not online, stories can be submitted by post to Tree Stories, Artlink, 87 Princes Avenue, Hull, HU5 3QP.
In addition, a programme of free events and activities to run alongside the project has also been launched. They will feature tips and advice on taking better care of existing trees and how to plant new ones as well as being able to explore the scientific secrets of trees and their importance to heritage and culture.
“We will also be promoting tree-related activities and events from our partners in the community to help people find amazing projects, initiatives and sites right on their door step,” said Lauren. “When we have Tree Story events to share, we will share them across our social media platforms and add them to our Digital Calendar on the Hull and East Riding Friends of the Earth website.”
As well as the project’s online presence, there will also be an emphasis on encouraging people to explore the trees around them whether at home, at school, in the workplace or in public parks and greenfield areas by creating their own activity or event. In addition, community and voluntary groups are being invited to run at least one tree-related activity between now and August 27, with support and mentoring being provided by Friends of the Earth.
To find out more about the project, the Tree Stories team will be manning a stall at the annual Roostock Festival at Rooted in Hull, St Peter Street, Hull city centre, on Saturday, June 20, from midday until 10pm.
Angus Young