Big news for smallest county says GMTV’s Penny Smith
Rutland celebrity Penny Smith backs Woodland Trust’s bid to create new woodland for wildlife
More than 9,000 children from Rutland and Stamford could take part in planting a new native wood in Oakham if a plan by the Woodland Trust takes root. A campaign to raise £30,000 for the wood on Brooke Road has got the backing of Rutland celebrity Penny Smith.
Ex- Rutland High School girl Penny says: “This is great news for Rutland. A new wood so close to Oakham will help to preserve the beauty of what’s been called the secret county and give wildlife a chance to thrive.”
More than £5,000 has already been raised to secure the woodland site which is only a field away from nearby housing and adjacent to Gorsefield Wood which was planted by the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, as part of a millennium project called Woods on Your Doorstep, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The new woodland could become a flagship site as part of the Woodland Trust’s national Tree For All campaign. Over the next five years the Trust aims to plant 12 million trees – one for every child under 16 in the UK to inspire and reconnect the next generation with a love of the natural world and a determination to act on its behalf.
Penny says: “This will also mean that everyone in Rutland and Stamford can go for a glorious stomp – and children can get the chance to get close to nature by planting a tree as part of the Woodland Trust’s Tree For All campaign. It’s an excellent project. Go on… make it happen.”
Sharon Thomas from the Woodland Trust says: The Trust needs to raise £134,000 before the end of the year to create this new woodland and a very generous donation of nearly £40,000 has set the campaign off to a good start. The Trust is looking at a range of funding sources but is hoping to be able to raise at least £30,000 towards this target from local people, organisations and companies. The backing of Rutland celebrity Penny Smith is great for the campaign and will give a boost to the Trust's plans for a new wood on Brooke Road.”
