Twenty years ago, in June 1998 the then Mayor of Ross-on-Wye, Mike Jennings planted an English oak tree to celebrate and commemorate the new county of Herefordshire.

The tree was planted at The Prospect adjacent to St Mary’s Church in Ross. Recently while carrying out archiving for the Ross Gazette digitisation project the photograph of the Mayor, Mike Jennings planting the tree, accompanied by several Councillors, came to light.

It was decided to track down the tree and see how it is fairing after more than 20 years.

As can be seen in the picture right, the tree has certainly grown and is now an important feature of the trees in The Prospect.

At the time of the planting, Town Councillor, Mary Dew, told the Ross Gazette that protecting the tree would be a high priority so that it can grow into a mature oak for future generations to enjoy.

She said:?“When John Kyrle planted the trees at The Prospect it was a good thing they were allowed to grow untampered with, to give us the benefit of their beauty today.”