There is no magic money tree — the Tories have made that abundantly clear. There is, however, a 'Tree of Beer Cans' just outside Norwood Junction station.
Over 1,000 beers cans (empty, we should point out) have been attached to a tree in Belgrave Car Park, behind Norwood Junction station in south London. It's the handiwork of Norwood JunKAction, a group of litter pickers with a difference — with the rubbish they collect in any given area, they're creating a thought-provoking sculpture. And this is their head-turning debut.
That's right, every single on of these cans was sourced from one car park; now forming a temporary bark of Tyskie and Magners containers, they are quite the statement — one not only highlighting local littering issues, but deep-rooted societal problems too.
Norwood JunKAction hope the sculpture will ignite conversation in South Norwood — questions like: What is our individual, collective and institutional responsibility when littering is such a widespread problem? Why do we fail to look after nature? How can we protect the most vulnerable in our community?
Btw, if you're thinking that glueing a load of junk to a tree hardly seems environmentally friendly, know that Norwood JunKAction volunteers strung the cans together with wire, before carefully wrapping them around the tree, and that no harm has been caused. The sculpture will be dismantled on 25 April 2023. But another one is sure to spring up soon after.
You can discover more about Norwood JunKAction — and sign up to take part in future projects — by visiting their website.