Powys town to honour links with refugees with tree planting

The AJR is the national charity providing social and welfare services to Holocaust refugees and survivors in the UK.

The planting will take place on January 27 as part of the ‘80 Trees for 80 Years’ project, which will see native oak trees planted around Britain in honour of people and places that symbolise the enormous contribution made to every walk of British life by refugees who escaped from Nazi Europe.

Llanwrtyd has been chosen because it offered a home in the Czech school to 120 Czechoslovakian children, part of the Kindertransport organised by Sir Nicholas Winton. The tree has been sponsored by Ellen Petzall in memory of her late husband and because she was inspired by the proposal of combining the planting of much needed trees with the 80th anniversary of formation of the AJR.

“As well as helping to mark the heritage of our members and a place of historic interest associated with them, the planting of this tree enables the AJR to give back to and create a living legacy within the country that became home to the Jewish refugees,” said AJR CEO Michael Newman.

“Britain’s native oak trees are in decline and new trees are desperately needed. We hope these 80 special trees will be appreciated by future generations and provide natural habitats for other native species for many decades to come.”

Llanwrtyd Wells Town Council, on behalf of the residents of Llanwrtyd, are extremely proud and honoured to have been chosen as one of the three locations in Wales to plant one of the 80 trees.

The tree at Dolwen Field will act as a platform for telling the story of Britain’s Jewish refugees and celebrating their remarkable contribution to British life. It will also form part of The Queen’s Green Canopy – the unique tree planting initiative which will mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, whose organisers have adopted the AJR’s project as an initiative.