Cheltenham grandmother to plant 720 trees for children's future

Sheila Manders said she wants help to "rock the world"

A grandmother of 18 who is worried about the planet is planting more than 700 trees to "do something positive" for her grandchildren's future.

Theatre group leader Sheila Mander, 89, from Cheltenham, was gifted 720 trees to plant at Ellenborough Park hotel.

She was inspired to do it after devising a theatre piece last year for children, all about the environment.

"I'm not doing this for me, because I'll be dead, I'm doing it for young people," she said.

Urging others to join in she added: "Come on everybody, let's get on with it, lets rock the world."

'Get up and do something'

Ms Mander said lots of children from her theatre group will come along to the event to help with the tree planting that will take place in the grounds of the hotel.

"We've got to do something to make some inroads into this difficulty that's going to occur," she said.

"I feel quite pleased, there's not much people my age can do, but this is the best.

"If I'm an old lady and you're younger than me, why don't you get up and do something too?"

Mr Wickens said he will be helping his grandmother to plant the trees

Ms Mander's grandson Jack Withens said she has always been a "very giving" person.

"She wants to do something whilst she's still around to help us and our generation," he said.

"We're all very proud of her and she always has something up her sleeve. I've got my spade clean, ready to dig some holes."

'Native tree hedgerow'

Councillor for Tewkesbury, Nigel Adcock, who gifted the trees, said the project will also help Gloucestershire County Council restore its tree numbers lost due to ash dieback.

"We're putting in a hedgerow of native trees that will be planted by young people and their parents," he said.

"I think that aspect of it is really important.

"Sheila is obviously an extremely dynamic person and is able to enthuse young people, which is fantastic.

"Over the past few years the schemes that we've done have been predominantly older people, so working with young people is the way we need to go."