One of the favourites of the festive season is the Christmas tree.

Whether majestic municipals or delightful domestics we wouldn’t be without them.

The downside is that when the fun is over most of them are consigned to the chipper in January.

Thank goodness then for organisations like Birmingham Trees for Life. It is the latest in a honourable line of tree-planting bodies in Birmingham, and is doing sterling work making sure that we plant and nurture many more trees in the city.

Earlier this month it launched its Big Tree Plant programme.

This follows a successful bid to the Government’s national tree planting campaign which has resulted in a first year grant of just over £25,000 being awarded.

The Big Tree Plant is part of the Government’s Big Society initiative, which aims to encourage the involvement of local people in issues and activities in their own communities. The programme was launched by the Lord Mayor and the event was hosted by the Birmingham Civic Society.

Birmingham Trees for Life is a partnership between the city council and the Birmingham Civic Society – all trees are planted on public land owned and managed by the council.

David Clarke, chairman of the Birmingham Civic Society, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected in the first wave of projects by the Big Tree Plant, and this grant will enable Birmingham Trees for Life to extend its tree planting to even more areas of the city, particularly those with less tree coverage.”