A GROUP of villagers are raising funds to create an avenue of trees in East Cholderton.

Landowner Simon Chesshire of Haydown Farm had the idea of creating a living memorial to his late wife.

With the help of a group of around five people from the local area, the idea then progressed into creating an avenue of trees on one of the many popular footpaths on his land.

The group hopes to raise approximately £27,500 to fund the project, entitled Haydown Link, which aims to transform the footpath which lies across two fields that were originally used for grazing dairy cows and is now a beautiful walk between the villages of Amport and East Cholderton.

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Amport Parish Council has earmarked a sum towards this project and a local charitable trust has also generously offered funds, meaning that £11,000 has, so far, been raised.

The avenue will be roughly 330 meters long and 20 meters wide, including the track, and Mr Chesshire has already prepared the ground on either side of the path and put in watering points on the path.

Speaking to the Advertiser, one of the volunteers and an Amport Parish councillor, Tessa Hawkings-Byass, said that just one week after launching the public fundraiser the group has raised around £1,500.

“We have had amazing uptake,” she said.

As well as support, the project has had some criticism from people who do not want to impede on the current landscape.

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Tessa continued: “There are some people who don’t want to destroy the view, but there are so many pathways from which to get that view, and in thirty years people will be able to see under the trees!

“Trees are the way to go, we have lost so much woodland and so it’s just such a lovely thing to do.”

It comes as Mr Cheshire’s land is the location of controversial plans for a brewery, which have been met with mixed response ahead of a planning decision from TVBC.

However, Tess said that the Haydown Link is “not linked” to the plans, and in no way an attempt to mitigate for any future building on the site.

“A brewery is a business, and this is not in anyway a business,” she said. “They are not linked at all.”

The trees have been sourced locally, and a local company will also be carrying out the avenue’s installation.

The project team also plans to add wildflowers and other aspects of beauty to the living memorial, which they hope to launch on March 21.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit: www.haydown-link.co.uk.

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