Hello Forest Friends,​

I hope you’re all excited to be back at school, having lots of fun seeing your friends and teachers again. I am excited to tell you that SPAR National Tree Day will take place this year on Thursday, 3rd October.

National Tree Day is a special event organised each year by the Tree Council of Ireland, with the support of its members and Green-Schools, and proudly sponsored by SPAR. One of the main aims of the day is to educate primary school children about the importance of trees and natural resources in our everyday lives. Schools across the country are invited to spend the day learning about trees, exploring their natural environment, and celebrating our beautiful planet. It’s an opportunity to connect with nature, participate in fun activities, and foster a lifelong love and respect for trees and the environment.

This year’s theme is ‘Trees are Magic’ – Tá draoicht ag baint le crainn – and we will be celebrating the wonderful Hawthorn tree, sometimes called the Whitethorn or the May Bush – Crataegus monogyna or An Sceach Geal. The Hawthorn tree is magical in so many ways and I’m excited to share some of its secrets with you – just click the button below!

To celebrate this magical tree, we are giving away FREE Hawthorn saplings for schools to plant on school grounds or in a pot in the classroom. Planting a tree is a wonderful way to help our environment and create a more magical world for everyone. Click here to find out how to get your FREE tree and check out our video on how to plant a tree here.

For this year’s SPAR National Tree Day, SPAR will also be planting some magic under its trees in stores across the country. For the month of October, participating SPAR stores will be home to a fairy who will be inviting local children to leave a wish at their door. Each fairy door will have a QR code for parents to scan, share their child’s wish and be in with the chance of making their child’s wish brought to life.

There are lots of fun activities you can do to celebrate SPAR National Tree Day here. You can take part in guided tree and woodland walks, learn about the importance of trees, or print out one of our colouring pages. Don’t forget to ask a responsible adult to share your beautiful nature photos and news with us using the hashtag #TreeDay2024 and #TreesAreMagic!

We need to support nature more than ever before, so please remember to take the Forest Pledge to be a lifelong friend of the environment.

So, get planting and keep an eye out for me, Sammy Squirrel, as you explore and enjoy the magic of nature. I can’t wait to see all the wonderful Hawthorn trees you will plant and the magic they will bring to our world.