Many trees had been donated, and we decided to put them in at the Butler carnival site on Common Moor Drove, where we had planted 350 last winter.

So the call went out, and a programme was issued, to our volunteers to assemble at 0930 on Saturday December 4. Now you might not believe that so many people would answer the call on a December morning, but in fact we had our highest turnout ever: 14 people.

Could it be that it was only the coffee (Anne Carmen) and cake (Hilde Senior) and mince pies that attracted us?

The photograph by Jason Bryant in the local paper showed most of us clustered around tree number 33,333 (the society started planting trees in 1973).

For winter 2005 we are halfway through planting 92 standard apple trees, each with 8ft post, 6ft cattle guard and associated straps and blocks. We need manpower. Please ring me on 85 0509.

Join our tree-planting team to help the Carymoor Environmental Trust plant 150 whips on the old landfill site near Castle Cary on Saturday February 26.

The site is clay, but the planting is to be done in soft compost: the whips are to go into old car tyres prepositioned across the site. Once planted, each whip will need staking and tubing as usual.

The task should be completed in a morning’s work if a good crew turn up, and refreshments will be laid on, both at the Environmental Centre and for on-site sustenance during the morning break.

Volunteers are asked to arrive at the gate to the Dimmer landfill site at 9:15am, complete with spades and Wellington boots or equivalent. From there they will be conducted to the centre for coffee and briefing. Dogs are not allowed on the site because of the wildlife projects.

Please contact Ian Rands or Terry Carmen for more details. New volunteers to join in the fun of tree-planting are always welcome.