Attleborough town sign.

Businesspeople and residents in Attleborough are being urged to get behind a scheme to add some extra green to the town.

Over the last few months, Attleborough Town Council has been forced to fell a number of rotten or diseased trees because of safety concerns. It comes after a survey of 500 trees on nine sites found that more than 100 were in urgent need of maintenance work.

The town council has now called on local businesses to sponsor the planting of new trees to replace the ones felled around the town’s play areas, recreation grounds and Queen’s Square.

Town clerk Mark Broughton said that a number of different varieties of trees had to be cut down and the council was keen to keep Attleborough green and to replace them.

Samantha Taylor, mayor and chairman of environment committee, added she hoped local firms and shops would get behind the Attleborough In Leaf project like they do with sponsoring flowers during Attleborough In Bloom.

“The town council have had to have extensive and expensive work carried out on the town’s trees and we have been greatly saddened that in the first stage of the project, we have had to have a large number of trees felled due to disease and other factors.”

“I know that as many local businesses help so willingly with the sponsorship of the flowers, it would be fantastic if businesses or any local resident could get behind this project and help in any way large or small. Maybe you have some trees that have self-seeded and you could donate the saplings or you have the qualifications or knowledge to help with the replanting,” she said.

The council hopes that local schoolchildren and youth groups will get involved in future planting schemes.

Anyone wanting to find out more about the project is asked to attend the council’s next environment meeting on Monday, October 15 at 7pm or contact the council on 01953 456194.