'˜The Great Tree of Ardmore': find out more at charity event

Director of the Woodland Trust NI, Patrick Cregg MBE, will give his unique insight into the island’s native woodlands during the ‘Trees and Woods of Ireland - Symbols of Life: Rooted in the Earth - Reaching for the Stars’ event on May 8.

It’s the latest in the occasional and immensely popular ‘Sam Burnside and Friends’ charity evenings at the hotel.

Mr Cregg will deliver a talk on ‘A Short History of Ireland’s Woodlands’ on a night that will also see Dr Robert Murtland tell the story of the ‘Great Tree of Ardmore’ - thought to have been planted around 1750.

The programme includes readings by Mr Burnside and music by Foyle U3A Eukers.

Patsy O’Kane, of the Beech Hill, says the evening promises to be “absolutely enthralling”.

“Nestled, as we are, amidst 32 acres of ancient woodland, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn not just of the ‘Trees and Woods of Ireland’, but to marvel at the tale of the ‘Great Tree of Ardmore’.

“As always with Sam and friends, we can promise an informative, entertaining and absolutely enthralling evening.”

Tickets cost £10 with all proceeds going to Foyle Hospice. The event gets underway at 7.30pm.

To book, contact the Beech Hill Country House Hotel on Tel: 028 71 349279.