The Ashford Tree Trail - how to get involved

Calling businesses, schools, and community groups – time to get involved in ‘The Ashford tree Trail’ – a community project for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

We are seeking the following partners – local schools, local community groups and businesses, to take part in a community arts project ‘The Ashford Tree Trail’.

The Ashford Tree Trail will be a visual spectacle of decorated trees growing across Ashford town centre for the Jubilee weekend and throughout June 2022 created by the local community and artists from Animate Arts.

Animate Arts are looking to work with local schools, local community groups and run two public events to design and make ornaments for the following trees: 

• Ten large wooden trees 
• Nine real trees - both in the Civic Park and other town centre locations

We are also looking for local businesses (venues and shops with space in windows or foyers) in the Ashford town centre who would be happy to team up with a community or school to ‘host’ one of the wooden trees.

Additionally a further ten small trees will be given (along with a creative pack) to local shops and businesses to customise, decorate and display the trees as part of the trail.

Each tree will be featured on a printed map and a virtual map. We are able to include information about businesses on the virtual map, including links to your website.

There will be two central themes to the decorations – The Queen’s Jubilee and Green Planet. We are championing for decorations and artworks that adorn each tree to be made from recycled and repurposed materials. From tin-can baubles to bunting from unwanted fabrics.

The making programme will take place in April-May 2022 and the Tree Trail will be on display from 2 June – 25 June 2022.

If you would like to get involved or have any questions, please contact trees@animateartscompany.com.

Whilst this centrally located Tree Trail is being made for the town centre, the project would like to see more trees being made and displayed in locations across the borough.

We hope that a further 40 independently trees will be created, resulting in a total of 70 registered trees to appropriately mark HM Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign.

To support this ambition, Animate Artists are creating a free download-able creative pack of ‘how to create a Trail Tree’, with inspirational ideas and activities to decorate a tree for the trail. This will be available for anyone – schools, community groups, businesses or individuals and can be downloaded from The Ashford Tree Trail website soon. 

Creators of decorated trees will be invited to submit pictures of their tree to be considered as one of the official 70 Tree Trail trees and added to a virtual tree trail! Submission forms and details will be available from The Ashford Tree Trail website soon. 

Jo Dyer, Artistic Director of Animate Arts, said “The artist team are so excited about this project! We have got inspired by all things Jubilee and green.

"We have got some brilliant ideas to share with you in how you can decorate your trees with recycled materials that you can easily get hold of.

"This is going to be quite a spectacular art trail with everyone’s creative involvement!”

For more information please head to The Ashford Tree Trail Website