PEOPLE walking around Exmouth were given a tree-t this week as landscapers started to add the finishing touches to the Strand Gardens.

More than two dozen trees were planted in the redeveloped area. A total of 27 will be added – including a new ‘great tree’.

New turf will also be laid, which can adapt to drought and dry conditions.

There will be a variety of species, including the maidenhair, which has a link with the World Heritage Coast.

The tree is the sole survivor of an ancient family going back 190 million years and has altered very little in that time.

A county council spokesperson said: “There will also be dawn redwood, another link with the Jurassic Coast, as it is a living relic of a fossil genus

“It will ultimately be a new ‘great tree’ for Exmouth, harking back to the tree near the site of the old railway station, which the town cherished for hundreds of years.”

As well as tulip trees and liquidambar styraciflua, The Strand will also become home to magnolia kobus, which is another link with Exmouth’s past, as some of the first magnolias ever introduced to Great Britain were grown in the town.

Meanwhile, people were given the chance to view plans for a new ‘iconic’ �400,000 building set to replace the Strand Shelter at an exhibition held last week.

The designs, by Exmouth firm Paul Humphries Architects, went on show at the town hall on Wednesday, January 5.

To read more on the building, turn to page five of this week’s Journal.