Trees in Glasgow park given a whole new lease of life
More than twenty trees were blown over in Victoria Park, some of which were up to seventy years old.
Last updated 10th Apr 2025
Trees in Glasgow’s Victoria Park which fell during Storm Éowyn have been given a new lease of life by local woodworkers.
When Storm Éowyn hit the UK in January 2025, it brought the strongest winds seen in over a decade.
More than twenty trees were blown over in Victoria Park, some of which were up to seventy years old.
But instead of clearing them away and having them turned into woodchips, the Victoria Park Community Trust enlisted the help of local woodworkers Justina Kasponyte and Robert McAndrew to turn the much-loved trees into something which could be enjoyed for years to come.
Over a matter of days they carved and chiselled the fallen timber into a chessboard and chairs, animal sculptures, and even an outdoor classroom for local schools to use.
“It’s such a joy to see old folk sitting on the benches, young folk climbing all over it,” said Robert. “People seem to love it”.
More than £5,000 has been raised in an online fundraiser to repair the damage done to Victoria Park in Storm Eowyn.
This includes buying trees to replace those which fell.
Justina says the community response to the old trees being kept in the park has been “amazing”.
“People saying ‘I’ve just seen two girls playing chess’, or ‘my kids have spent an hour climbing on the tree’ – it’s amazing to hear.”
Wood-carved park structures are common in Justina’s home country of Lithuania, but are much rarer in Scotland where features like benches and playparks tend to be made of metal and plastic.
They hope the project will inspire others to repurpose fallen trees in interesting ways.
“Following storms there’s a massive number of trees that are lying there and could be repurposed in parks all over the city,” said Robert. “There’s potentially climbing frames, chess boards, sculptures that the public could benefit from.”
“If we can reuse these fallen giants that have stood on the landscape for hundreds of years, that’s a good thing”.
Justina added: “Trees take a long time to grow. Every time you cut a tree, the older and bigger it is the more years you are cutting down. It stood there before some of the parks were built, and way before people around it were alive.”
“If they fall, if they need to be felled for safety reasons, there’s still stuff that can be made from them to give them a second life.”
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