Free tree for every Babergh and Mid Suffolk baby born in 2025

The Tree for Life scheme is open to all families across the districts who have welcomed, or are set to welcome, a newborn baby or adopted child during the 2025 calendar year.
 
The initiative, which runs every year, gives parents the opportunity to mark their child’s arrival by planting a fruit tree, which can them grow alongside them.
 
Parents that may have lost a child during the same period are also able to apply for a memory tree as part of the scheme.
 
Since its inception, the councils have given out well over two thousand trees, with 300 hundred families applying last year alone. 
 
As well as helping families mark special milestones, Tree for Life also has the added benefit of increasing tree coverage across the districts and encouraging more people to get interested in the environment. To nurture this interest, each applicant is given a choice of which tree they would like when they go to collect it, as well as expert information about how to plant, pick and care for it.
 
Cllr Helen Davies, Babergh District Council cabinet member for climate change, nature recovery and biodiversity, said:

“Planting a tree is one of life’s simple pleasures but can also be incredibly meaningful, making it a perfect way to celebrate a new arrival.
 
“Not only does this scheme give children the opportunity to explore nature and learn how to care for it while they grow, but it also serves as a great way to protect our environment for future generations.” 
 
Cllr Tim Weller, Mid Suffolk District Council cabinet member for environment, culture and wellbeing, said:

“The Tree for Life scheme is our way of celebrating each new life in Mid Suffolk and it’s been wonderful to see so many families take part in recent years.
 
“It is always incredibly rewarding to see children growing alongside their trees and watching their imaginations be captured by the world around them. If you want your child to share in that wonder, then please apply.”
 
Tree for Life applications can be made via the councils’ websites at www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/w/tree-for-life or www.babergh.gov.uk/w/tree-for-life