MEMBERS of the Antrobus Heritage Initiative have been presented with a Rowan Tree - after winning an award from the Countryside Agency.

The group produced a comprehensive five-year plan for planting flowers, shrubs, plants and trees in the area, which was recognised and rewarded by the agency.

So far around 30 trees and 7,000 plants and flowers have been planted including bluebells, roses and wild plants.

Antrobus Heritage Initiative was launched in 1998 by The Countryside Agency to help people to care for their local landscape, landmarks and traditions.

Advice and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund were given to 24 communities nationwide to help them record their local heritage as part of a pilot study.

A group of Antrobus people formed a Heritage Initiative committee and produced a book about their village.

They spent 12 months researching aspects of the parish's heritage that they felt should be recorded.

The results were compiled, edited and printed by the group to produce a book called Antrobus, A Country Parish at the Millennium.

Now the group of six has produced a plan, called the Flaura Enhancement Project for planting around the area.

They were presented with their tree last Tuesday, yesterday, by Helen Carey, chairman of the Cheshire Landscape Trust (CLT), Bob Price, trustee of CLT, Katie Lower, operations manager for CLT and parish council chairman Mike Barker.

vkandel@guardiangrp.co.uk