12 weeks before

·  Pick a place to plant your Family Tree and get permission from the landowner

·  Fix a date for your event, and start sending out invites – remember that your MP’s diary will fill up quickly, so the more notice you can give them the better!

·  Start posting about the event on social media, tagging local groups and sharing in community Facebook groups, and put up posters in places used by people in your community

·  Let JCWI know about the event you’re planning by emailing [email protected]

4 weeks before

·  Contact local journalists to let them know, and follow up with your MP if they haven’t responded

·  Send a follow-up to remind invitees about your event

·  Ask a local garden centre if they would like to donate a tree

2 weeks before

·  Send a reminder to any journalists who haven’t responded, letting them know who else is planning to attend

·  If you’ve not had luck getting a donated tree, order one from the Woodland Trust website

On the day

·  Before the event, send a message to everyone who is coming to confirm the date and exact location

·  Enjoy coming together with others from your community to plant a Family Tree! Make sure to take plenty of photos and video footage, and ask permission from anyone featured – these can be used for social media, or shared with any journalists who haven’t been able to come in person

·  If your MP is able to come, make sure to take photos with them and share on social media

Afterwards

·  Thank your MP for coming, and follow up with journalists to see if they need anything else

·  Send a message to everyone who attended to thank them, and ask them to keep in touch

·  Check in with JCWI to let us know how your event went

·  Your tree shouldn’t need to be watered, as it will adapt to natural conditions – but someone is able to weed the area around the tree every few months, this will give it the best possible start in life!