Exhibition raises funds for Brighton tree planting

Hold Me Until The Bus Comes is a collection of urban tree portraits

Brighton-based artist Tony Felstead is raising money to support tree planting in the city.

Tony is donating 10 per cent of proceeds from his first solo exhibition to support Plant Your Postcode – a CPRE Sussex initiative to increase the number of trees in the Greater Brighton area.

Hold Me Until The Bus Comes is a collection of urban tree portraits, accompanied by interactive soundscapes by Simon Smith.

Tony hopes it will raise money for Plant Your Postcode and encourage others to think about what they can do to increase Brighton’s green canopy.

“The feedback we have had is that it is making people notice and appreciate the trees all around them,” he said. “We have a tendency to take our trees for granted, we see them as part of the street furniture instead of living beings.”

Brighton mayor Lizzie Deane was at a special viewing of the exhibition on Monday, June 20, and has chosen CPRE Sussex as one of her mayoral charities.

“I am absolutely delighted and look forward to working with CPRE Sussex over the coming year,” she said. “It is very generous of Tony to donate part of the proceeds. It is so important for charities to have that level of support.”

CPRE Sussex director Brian Kilkelly said: “We are here to celebrate urban green spaces and I would like to thank Tony for inviting us to come along and enjoy the exhibition. This is a great example of people who are seeing the value of Plant Your Postcode and what we are trying to do here in Brighton. Our focus is on shaping a greener future for Sussex – not just rurally but in urban areas as well. We want to create green fingers connecting cities with the beautiful green spaces we have on our doorsteps.”

Plant Your Postcode is a volunteer-led project initiated by CPRE Sussex, Brighton & Hove City Council and Hove Civic Society.

Robert Walker, head of City Parks, said: “I love the images because they really have that urban feel about them. It is more difficult to plant on streets than it is in parks but one tree can really make a difference. If you can change an area to a tree-lined street, the whole atmosphere changes. To have people working towards planting in those more difficult areas is great.”

Hold Me Until The Bus Comes is on at 35 North gallery, 35 North Road, Brighton until Saturday, June 25. For more information and opening hours visit 35northgallery.com

Click here to listen to a tree-inspired playlist and hear Tony and Simon talk about their work.

To find out more about Plant Your Postcode and how you can help bring more trees to Brighton, visit cpresussex.org.uk/what-we-care-about/nature-and-landscapes/plant-your-postcode