Your questions

Nestling in a valley next to the picturesque reservoir at Dove Stone nature reserve in the Peak District, Celebration Wood is a special place to pay tribute to a loved one and spend a while with your memories. In time, it will grow to be a wonderful home for nature.

For your donation, we will plant a native tree in Celebration Wood for you at the Dove Stone reserve in the Peak District.

You can choose your tree from a list of five different native species chosen for their beauty ane benefit to wildlife. Your tree will be approximately 1.5 to 2 metres high when it's planted, so you can visit it from day one.

You can choose to have a handmade marker with a dedication inscribed to hang on your tree. We will commission two of these markers so that you can keep one as a memento at home.

We also plant native wildflowers around the woodland.

We will work to find a date that suits you. You can discuss your specific requirements with one of our team.

We will do our best to ensure you can attend, but if you aren't able to join us for the planting, we will send you your marker as well as a photo and map showing the tree’s location.

You can make your donation by contacting our project officer, Claire Johnston by phone on 07395 852252, or email claire.johnston@rspb.org.uk.

Your donation covers the cost of the RSPB purchasing and caring for the tree and the creation and maintenance of Celebration Wood.

It will also be used to support the reserve at Dove Stone as well as the wider work of the RSPB.

You can choose from the following native trees:

Sessile Oak – as an ancient native species, oak supports more wildlife than any other tree in the British Isles. It provides habitat for several hundred species of insects, birds and many mosses, liverworts, lichens and more.

Rowan – an iconic tree of the fells, also known as Mountain Ash, with bright berries to feed the birds and a wealth of folklore as a protector from harm (and even witchcraft!)

Silver Birch – A symbol of purity that provides food for hundreds of insects. Woodpeckers and other hole-nesting birds can nest in the trunk, while Siskins and Greenfinches snack on its seeds.

Common Alder – this tree also thrives in wet woodlands, providing food for moth caterpillars and early nectar for bees. Unusually, this broadleaved tree has small cones containing seeds which are eaten by Redpoll, Goldfinch and Siskins.

Bird Cherry - Spring flowers provide an early source of nectar and pollen for bees, later the cherries are eaten by birds, including the Blackbird and Song Thrush, as well as mammals such as the Badger and Wood Mouse.

Ashes can be interred in a plain ceramic pot that we will provide, this will be placed inside the planting hole and any ashes can be poured into it. As the reservoir is so close by, ashes can't be scattered in the wood.

If you would like to inter the ashes, you'll need to let our project officer Claire Johnston know in advance of the planting.

We will plant native wildflowers around the woodland and we can also provide you with some to plant on the day of the tree planting.

The flowers we provide are carefully chosen to complement the environment and support local wildlife. We don't allow the planting of any other flowers, as these could pose a risk to the sensitive habitat and the local wildlife.

Celebration Wood is a natural setting and is designed to support wildlife in the area. To protect the setting, we don't allow any tributes, including flowers, to be left by the trees and any that we find will have to be removed.

We will arrange for two ceramic markers to be made for you. They are in the shape of a leaf or bird and you can choose a short message (up to 10 words) to be inscribed on them by the potter before they are glazed. One marker will be hung on the tree and the other is yours to take home as a memento.

If you decide not to have a marker, we will still know which tree you have planted. The trees are all given a unique number and plotted on a map.

Each tree comes with a 10-year guarantee. In the unlikely event that the tree should die we will replace it free of charge. After 10 years we may carry out woodland management for safety, biodiversity and water quality. When the RSPB lease ends, management will divert to the landowner (United Utilities).

Narrow paths will be gently cut through the wood on a regular basis but we will leave most of the grass long in order to encourage wildflowers to grow and insects and small mammals to use the area.

When our current Celebration Wood reaches our recommended capacity for planted trees, we will begin to plant in other areas elsewhere at Dove Stone.

We plant from October into April. Planting in other months depends on ground conditions. We don't tend to plant in July and August, as it can be too dry and the tree may struggle to establish itself.

It's best to discuss this with our project officer, Claire Johnston. You can usually choose your own location within the wood but there may be areas where we don’t wish to plant.

The tree will be approximately 1.5 to 2 metres high when it is planted.

You don't need to be a member to plant a tree at Celebration Wood.

Please call our Supporter Service Team on 01767 693680 or email them: membership@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively, you can sign up through our website.