Come and plant a tree with us!

We will be holding a Community Planting Day at Swedenborg Gardens, Tower Hamlets on Saturday 24th October 2026 from 10am to 1pm. Please sign up using the form below and join us to add new trees and greenery to the park.

Our community planting day is free and open to everyone, including families. We will provide all the tools, equipment and guidance you will need as well as free refreshments and family crafts.

Accessibility is very important to us, and we are working to make sure our events can welcome everyone. If you have any specific needs or questions around accessibility at this event please contact community@treesforcities.org

Why are we planting trees here? 

Tree planting in Tower Hamlets is a priority for Trees for Cities - it is classified as high risk on the Greater London Authority's climate risk map and is one of the lowest tree equity boroughs in London. Healthy and climate resilient green spaces are vital for local residents to thrive in their communities. 

Swedenborg Gardens is a park in Tower Hamlets between a school, a community centre and a housing estate. Our aim is to benefit local residents by providing future shade, species diversity, pollution mitigation and visual interest to paths and spaces in the park. 

Our suggestions for tree planting are:

• to increase planting and tree cover as pollution screening from the nearby roads
• to diversify the existing species so that they are more climate resilient
• to add ornamental trees to shade more of the open spaces. 

We are taking care not to affect the main open space used for sports and events, and keep clear sight lines through the park. 

The 20 new standard trees (at least 1.8m tall, 8-12 years old) and multiple hedging whips (0.5m tall, 1-2 years old) would sit alongside existing trees planted by Trees for Cities and local residents in 2018 and in 2010. 

New trees are most vulnerable soon after planting, so Trees for Cities are committed to watering and caring for them for 3 years after planting, after which their care is handed over to Tower Hamlets Council. 

Thank you for your feedback! 

Our community consultation has now closed. Our teams conducted community engagement activities in August and September 2026 and received valuable feedback on the initial design. Input from residents, park users, local stakeholders, and council staff/maintenance teams are being considered in parallel and will inform any amendments to the design.

Please get in touch with us at community@treesforcities.org with any questions or comments, or sign up to get involved!