In A shady corner of Chippenham’s John Coles Park where they used to play as children, sisters Patricia Farmer and Lila Boucher have replanted a tree to remember their late sister Annette Glen.

Mrs Farmer, who lives in Canada, joined Mrs Boucher, nephew Adrian Glen, and his 12-year-old son Will to plant the new red maple tree in the park.

Mrs Glen, who died in 1998, was one of five children, three girls and two boys, who grew up in the town and stayed throughout her life.

Mr Glen, 46, said: “The tree was planted in John Coles Park near the Deansway entrance, close to where the three sisters lived on Deansway as children.

“They always used to run here and play in the park because there wasn’t much traffic on Malmesbury Road at that time, so we thought it would be a nice place for the tree to go, at the spot where they used to play. We had planted one a couple of years after she died, but unfortunately due to wear and tear it was time to replace it after last year’s severe winter.”

Mrs Boucher, who lives in Monkton Park, said the family had decided to replant the tree to coincide with Mrs Farmer’s visit to England.

“We thought we should do it while we were together,”

she said.

“She is staying with me for a few weeks while she’s in England, and we thought it was the right time to replant the tree. Unfortunately it just didn’t stand up to the winter, and so it was time to do it again.

“After we did it, I took the whole family out for Sunday lunch at Leigh Park, so it was a very nice special occasion for all. The weather was just beautiful and it was a lovely day.”

Mrs Boucher said the family had chosen the site because of its proximity to where they grew up as children. “We lived very close by, and we used to run to the park to play, so it seemed like the right spot,” she said.

“We planted the tree after my sister passed away, and this was an opportunity for us to go and replace it when Pat was here.”