Get involved at your local Surrey library
An exciting competition kicks off across Surrey today 1 June to 4 September to encourage young people to celebrate ancient trees. It offers children the opportunity to have their artwork included in a new children's book, The Thousand Year Tree.
The winning artwork will be featured on the inside covers of the book. Runner up prizes include book bundles and bookshop tokens.
All primary aged children, between 4 and 11 years, are encouraged to head to their local Surrey library to pick up a template. Any art medium can be used, and artwork should be themed around trees and nature. Templates can be returned to any Surrey Library.
Further details including terms and conditions are available on the Surrey Hills Society website.
The Thousand Year Tree
As England's most wooded county, Surrey is home to some of our nation's oldest trees. Many are over one thousand years old! To celebrate these trees, local author Lucy Reynolds and illustrator Katie Hickey, are working with a group of budding book creators from Weyfield Primary Academy, Guildford.
The children have already engaged in a series of creative workshops, school assemblies and educational visits to Newlands Corner in the Surrey Hills National Landscape. Here, they experienced the wonder of ancient yew trees up close.
Guided by experts, the children will create poems and timelines charting the history of ancient trees. These poems and timelines will then contribute to the children's book. Once printed, the book will be distributed across all fifty-two of Surrey's libraries and additional local schools.
The project is a collaborative effort between:
- the Surrey Hills Society
- Surrey Hills National Landscape
- Surrey County Council
- author Lucy Reynolds
- illustrator Katie Hickey
- Guildford Book Festival
- The Old Dungate Press
- Surrey Libraries
With thanks to funding from the Surrey Hills Access for All fund, enabling everyone to love and protect Surrey's National Landscape.
