Did you know, that over the last 50 years, over 22 million trees have been planted in the new city of Milton Keynes?
This year, to celebrate Milton Keynes' 50th Birthday, David Lock Associates have launched MK50trees.com which showcases 49 of the 22 million, with a chance for a website visitor to make MK history with tree number 50.
David Lock Associates (DLA) is an independent town planning, urban design and master planning consultancy based in Milton Keynes. DLA draw inspiration from the city and regularly organise and take part in city-wide events and activities. It is DLA's pride in Milton Keynes that planted the seed for this innovative celebration of the city's rich and distinctive landscape.
Partner at DLA, Simon Collier, said: "We want people to explore the website but also go out and visit the trees and the places in which they grow; our 49 trees have a wide geographic spread. We invite people to vote for which type of tree they would like to see planted as a ‘50th tree' to conclude David Lock Associates' MK50 celebrations at the end of this year. The tree species which receives the most votes will be planted at Brooklands (with thanks to Places for People) to mark the city's anniversary." As well as voting, one lucky competition winner will have the chance to plant the MK50 tree, and be part of the future of the city's green space.
DLA selected the 49 trees by asking their staff to choose which of Milton Keynes' millions of trees is their favourite, and why. "We couldn't have created this unique celebration without the input of our colleagues," continued Simon. "It's been fascinating listening to some of the family histories linked to trees in Milton Keynes - we can't wait to share them."
The website is now live at MK50trees.com. In the coming months, the selected trees will be showcased through Facebook and Twitter feeds. We'll also be making announcements about the MK50 Trees competition and more - follow us @MK50Trees.