A SOUTH side park heritage group is celebrating the planting of 14 cherry trees, after flood prevention works tore up iconic shrubbery in King’s Park.

Friends of King’s Park, which reformed in August 2019, organised for the replanting of trees beside Aikenhead House after flood prevention works in the park removed several trees, some between 40 and 50 years old.

With construction on the project now complete, the group went to work in restoring the shrubbery.

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Joyce Jordan, secretary of Friends of King’s Park, said: “The cherry trees will bring back some lovely nature to the park after the trees were sadly torn down in the process of the works.

“King’s Park is a very popular park with locals and dog walkers - in the past few months it has become a place to come and clear heads and relax and we have definitely seen it used more.

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“We wanted to make sure that it was getting the upkeep it deserves and the cherry trees will really bring a sense of renewal ton the park - hopefully everyone can enjoy them and see them bloom in spring.”

The 14 cherry trees, which have been planted along the main path to Aikenhead House, were provided by Mark Wang at MW Groundworks, Glasgow City Council’s Neighbourhood & Sustainability and RJ MacLeod, the contractor that worked on the flood prevention project.

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The project, which began in 2019, saw trees removed to allow flood prevention precautions to be installed after nearby properties were often damaged from bad weather run-off from the park.

Mark Wang said: “I donated three trees to the project after I was contacted and told about what the Friends were planning on doing.

“It seemed like something that they were passionate about and after the previous trees were brought down, it was something that the park was missing again.”

Glasgow Times: Mark Wang, left, and Kevin Brown, right. Mark Wang, left, and Kevin Brown, right.

Kevin Brown, a member of Friend’s of King’s Park, said: “The replanting of the trees will make such a difference in the park. I thought that it was such a shame that they tore these beautiful trees down, albeit for important work.

“I think this shows that people do care about their local green spaces and I think communities really do need to take these sorts of issues into their own hands.”

Dominika Nasilowski, a frequent user of the park, said: “I’m a huge fan of King’s Park and I’m very passionate for keeping it as great as possible, which has been often overlooked.”

Glasgow Times: Dominika Nasilowski and her five week old daughter, Urszula. Dominika Nasilowski and her five week old daughter, Urszula.

Dominika said that the planting of the trees will help not only herself, but also her five week old daughter, Urszula, in enjoying the park.

She said: “What is really lovely about the planting of the cherry trees is that they are replacing ones that had been there for decades.

“The trees will become part of the legacy of the park and it’s great to think how many people will take joy from them for years to come.”