We will be joined by Birmingham Tree People on Saturday 21st September for our Sustainable Futures Festival

Benjamin’s 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 has been 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.

The Zephaniah Forest poetry competition – Trees Please, Poetry Please? – aims to create a 65-strong mini forest Tree Trail containing the poems, each one dedicated to a specific tree, for the 65 trees being planted in Burbury Park, Newtown this coming Winter in memory of Benjamin Zephaniah.

The Zephaniah Forest Tree Trail will be recorded via TreePlotter, with each poem available online through the application (as well as being recorded on our website with the poems and an image of the tree, regularly updated throughout the coming years to ensure establishment).

The tree pit locations for the legacy mini-forest have already been plotted, ready and waiting for Benjamin’s newly planted memorial trees during National Tree Week 2024, from the last week of November to the first week of December, in time for the anniversary of Benjamin’s untimely passing.

We are working with the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group, and have teamed up with Bradley Taylor (a prominent poet in the arts community), to bring this incredible legacy back home to where Benjamin grew up with his loving family.

The deadline is 1^st December 2024, and entrants can submit up to three poems, no longer than an A4 piece of paper. Are you a poet or creative who would like to submit their ditty towards a project dedicated to a Brummie legend? Please follow this link, and scroll down to see the submission form: https://birminghamtreepeople.org.uk/trees-in-birmingham/the-zephaniah-forest/

On Saturday 21st September at our Sustainable Futures Festival you will have the opportunity to write and submit a poem for The Zephaniah Forest Competition!