Church Village Bypass engineers joined forces with local residents to enter a Guinness World Record event to plant 200 trees next to the £90million highway project.
As part of National Tree Week, BBC’s Breathing Places encouraged people to plant as many trees as possible within an hour on the same day in an effort to break the world record.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s contractors for the Bypass, Costain, in conjunction with Capita Glamorgan and landscaping sub-contractors UPMTilhill welcomed almost 150 local residents to Parc Nant Celyn in Efail Isaf to plant the trees.
Braving the elements, the Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf Cllr Robert Smith and his consort Mrs Margaret Smith started the proceedings by planting the first tree at 11am.
Local ward member, Cllr John David who is also Chair of Llantwit Fardre Community Council and fellow councilors Margaret Burtonwood and Joel James soon followed suit. Residents enthusiastically joined forces to plant the 200 trees in a staggering 40 minutes!
Cllr Smith said: “This was an exceptionally successful community event which brought together engineers, councillors and neighbours alike to not only break a world record but make a lasting impact on the surrounding area.
“The tree planting will not only reduce the traffic volume on nearby homes, but also greatly enhance the local environmental for the benefit of future generations.”
Barry Woodman, Church Village Bypass Project manager for Costain said, ‘We were delighted to be able to support this event and it was an ideal opportunity for us to mark the start of a comprehensive landscaping plan for the area.
“The plan will involve planting over 28,000 trees and shrubs over the next twelve months which is a significant increase on the number of plants that, unfortunately, had to be removed to allow construction of the bypass.”
Ian Walsh, Director of Capita Glamorgan added: “As a member of the construction partnership we were pleased to be involved in such a worthwhile event and I have every confidence the landscape plan will greatly enhance the finished project.”
