The people of Hartlepool came together to celebrate the town’s cultural heritage of trees at the official launch of ‘Stories from Hartlepool’s Parks’ in Hartlepool Art Gallery.
Led by Trees for Cities – the only UK charity working at a national scale to improve people’s lives by planting and caring for trees in cities – with support from Hartlepool Borough Council, the project has brought together residents of all ages to share their favourite stories linked to the town’s green spaces, to pass down through the generations.
Working with community groups, care homes, schools and youth organisations, the stories have been gathered and brought to life through illustrations and artwork that will remain on show in the Art Gallery until Sunday 30 November.
Some of the community artwork on display at the launch event
The launch event featured organisations and residents who have been involved in the project. Members of the public were welcome too.
There were free craft activities from the Northern School of Art and a free tree giveaway by The Woodland Trust.
There was also the unveiling of a beautiful 'Community Pledge Tree' created by welding apprentices at Hartlepool College of Further Education.
Some of the welding apprentices at Hartlepool College of Further Education who made the 'Community Pledge Tree' - (left to right) Jacob Turnedge, Dale Cliff, Alex Taylor-Hill, Peter Foster and Lincoln Gustard - pictured with the tree
You can make your own pledge by writing your name on a leaf and taking a pledge off the tree. Put your name on the tree and take your pledge home to remind you of the promise you are making to help make Hartlepool greener with Trees for Cities.
Stories from Hartlepool’s Parks forms part of the Tree Equity for Hartlepool Project led by Trees for Cities and part-funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Linbury Trust, with support from Hartlepool Borough Council, Tees Community Forest, The Woodland Trust, Thirteen Housing Group and Treeconomics.
The project aims to tackle the low number of trees in Hartlepool, using new tree mapping technology to plant trees in communities where they are needed most.
New trees will be planted across at least ten hectares in nature-deprived areas across Hartlepool over the next two years, with the first community planting days planned for early 2026.
Hartlepool residents George and Christine Krezner receive a crab apple tree to plant in their garden from Charlotte Hardy of Trees for Cities in the free tree giveaway from The Woodland Trust at the launch event
Roddy Shaw, Senior Development Manager at Trees for Cities, said: “We are delighted to launch Stories from Hartlepool's Parks in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council to celebrate the cultural heritage of the town's green spaces with the wider community.
“This initiative captures the ambitions of our Tree Equity for Hartlepool project, ensuring that everyone can share in the benefits of a greener, healthier and more equitable urban forest for Hartlepool, now and for generations to come.”
Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “This is about even more than trees – it’s about people, pride and our future.
“Through our fantastic partnership with Trees for Cities, Hartlepool is coming together to celebrate our green spaces and make sure they thrive for generations to come.
“Hartlepool is not just being regenerated on economic, leisure and cultural fronts, its green spaces are being regenerated too.
“Tree Equity for Hartlepool is a massively exciting project and I hope all our residents will get involved in helping to support it.”