A "UNIQUE event" offering people a chance to reflect on the trees they have loved and lost has been announced in a London borough.

Hackney residents are organising an ‘intervention’ where people can come together to notice a tree – those at risk, one that may have already been felled or one they just love.

Notice This Tree event invites residents to walk to the Hackney Town Hall square on Thursday for a roll call to honour local trees, followed by a screening of Katy McGahan’s The Happy Man Tree documentary at Hackney Picturehouse.

“It’s an invitation for people to come and notice a tree. Unfortunately more often it applies to trees that suddenly come at risk or are never noticed and are suddenly gone," organiser Peter Buckingham said. “Other feelings do come in: anger comes in, and protest.

“If we were connected to the impact of loss maybe some things as a culture wouldn’t be done.”

He felt more people are “noticing and become attached to trees more than they used to be”.

This was maybe because of the “heightened awareness of the environmental crisis” and the value of mature trees.

Mayor of Hackney Caroline Woodley revealed the council planted 5,000 new street trees in the borough in the last four years, making it “one of the largest urban tree planting programmes in the country”, she said.

After planting, new trees benefit from 18 months of care and watering before they enter a young tree maintenance programme, including pruning and adjustments to stakes, with inspections to ensure their health.

For any new trees that suffer damage or fail, the council has a tree replacement scheme.

Woodley said: “We also recognise the importance of maintaining a broad canopy of mature trees that bring numerous benefits, including cooling streets in hot weather.

“We have recently created an incredibly detailed Hackney Tree Map to help residents find out more information about trees in their neighbourhood; this identifies in excess of 45,000 trees plotted across streets, parks, housing and open spaces, listing their species, common name and age.”

In managing the 58 parks and green spaces, the council strategy for 2021 to 2031 commits it to “working with communities, creating more welcoming spaces and doing everything we can to ensure Hackney remains environmentally sustainable, making improvements wherever possible”, she said.

“To help deliver on these commitments we work with lots of volunteers, experts and local groups, including the Tree Musketeers, who plant dozens of trees and help them grow in Hackney’s parks and green spaces each year”, Woodley added.