Artist Eric MacLennan is inviting nominations for people to have a tree in Lesnes Abbey Woods named after someone important to them.

The Lesnes Hundred by Eric MacLennan is a socially engaged piece of art offering members of the public the opportunity to name a tree after someone important to them. We’ve always given names to important things in our life, so why not give trees individual names too? Not the names of celebrities or the famous, but the unsung of the community. The people that matter to us.

The Lesnes Hundred celebrates ordinary people who have been ignored by history… teachers; friends; ordinary (or rather extraordinary) people who have done good things without seeking recognition.

As well as celebrating our ‘unsung’, The Lesnes Hundred will give focus to the importance of the environment for our future. Named trees will be more cherished. Trees have always been important to us, we need them now, more than ever, to combat the climate crisis, they’ve inspired poets and painters around the world, and they can even improve our happiness. We care about our trees, so by naming them we will show how we value them.

This project is now open to the public for the first 25 participants (of 100) inviting people to be interviewed on Zoom nominating someone they’d like a tree in Lesnes Abbey Woods to be named after.

Participation is free. To nominate a name for one of the trees please email Eric MacLennan to arrange an appointment by emailing: [email protected]