New almond tree in Oxford High Street comes from Swindon

In January tourists from around the globe went on social media to express their grief when the almond tree outside the University Church of St Mary the Virgin was cut down.

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It had been damaged in last year's heatwave and had to be cut down for safety reasons.

Now, thanks to funding from Jeremy Mogford, the hotelier who owns The Old Bank, opposite the church, a new almond tree has been planted today.

And staff from Oxford University's parks department revealed the replacement came from Swindon.

It stands alongside two other new trees which will also produce the pink blossom tourists love to photograph.

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Mr Mogford was joined at the church this morning by Rev Dr William Lamb for a tree planting ceremony.

Rev Lamb said: "We are absolutely delighted - the almond tree should start to bloom next year.

"We have prayed for the planting of the trees, the good stewardship of God's creation, and the part that each one of us plays in that."

The new almond tree, sourced from Kingsdown Nurseries in Swindon, has not been planted in exactly the same place as its predecessor in order to avoid the possibility of it becoming diseased, and has been planted instead in a new location at the front of the church.

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The other two new trees are a Kashmir Rowan and a tree of Judea and they all stand alongside a well-established magnolia tree now in full bloom.

Mr Mogford said he was delighted to make a contribution of several thousand pounds towards the project.

He added: "The trees are right in the view of The Old Bank and everyone was very distressed when the almond tree came down.

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"Enhancing the High Street in this way, with some greenery, has to be a good thing and I was delighted to be able to help."

Dan Holden, arboricultural offiicer for Oxford University, who helped to plant the trees, said the original almond tree had been damaged by the heatwave and air patterns created by passing traffic.

An earlier statement on the church website said: "At the same time, the impact of these extreme weather conditions has caused the church community to reflect carefully about our care of the environment.

"The Parochial Church Council has established an Environmental Action Group, made up of parishioners and students, and we will be initiating a thorough audit of our activities in the next few months."