A pair of Kanzan Cherry trees are thriving in Victoria Park after a crowdfunder in 2025 raised £420 in four hours to replace them after an act of vandalism. The young trees, planted by the town council’s ranger team with pupils from Selwood Academy, were cut down overnight in June 2025. Residents Nick East and Rob Hearn decided to combat the negativity with positive community action and launched a JustGiving page to plant new trees, which hit its target within hours of posting. Suppliers Barcham Trees offered a discount on the replacement saplings, which were planted in the autumn and are now blossoming. The money also went towards the cost of a replacement handkerchief tree near the bandstand.
Cllr Mark Dorrington said: “It’s fantastic to see the cherry trees healthy and blossoming, thanks to the quick action and kindness of Nick, Rob and everyone who donated to the fundraiser. Hopefully we’ll see these trees blossom many more times in the years to come.”
Nick East said “We saw the trees had been cut down and they were such a beautiful addition, so we thought we’d pitch in and ask the community if they could help us crowdfund to replace them. The response was amazing; it only took a few hours to get the money together. It’s great to see them back and thriving.”
Rob Hearn said “Initially there was a Facebook post about the tree and people were giving some context about them, that they’d been planted by students from Selwood Academy and one had a memorial plaque. Nick asked me to help with writing the JustGiving page and it just felt like the right thing to do.”
The Kanzan Cherry trees are planted close together on the north side of Victoria Park.
