The Zephaniah Forest: 65 trees for 65 years
Benjamin Zephaniah’s death shook the foundations of the local and wider community. That’s why his youngest brother – David Springer – contacted Birmingham TreePeople on behalf of the whole family at the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group, in the hope of carrying on this iconic legacy through his love of trees and nature.
Growing up in a large, loving family with seven siblings, David explained that their usual ‘stomping grounds’ were Newtown, Nechells, Aston, and some of Lozells and Handsworth. With its good number of tree-pit locations, Newtown’s Burbury Park was identified as the ideal home for The Zephaniah Forest: a 65-strong conglomerate of poetry-tagged, community-consulted, and communally planted trees, to commemorate the life and works of Benjamin Zephaniah – 65 trees for the 65 years of Benjamin’s inspirational life.
