23 February 2007
Scouts launch new partnership to mark 100 years
By planting the seeds of a greener future in Wentwood Forest
Around 160 Scouts from 10 different groups teamed up with the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw), the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity last Wednesday, to plant acorns as part of the Trust’s work restoring Wentwood Forest to its former broadleaved glory. They visited the site to plant acorns that, with luck, will grow into huge oaks that will eventually take the place of the conifers that currently dominate the Forest.
The planting event marks the start in Wales of a partnership with the Woodland Trust to mark the Scout Association’s centenary year, the ‘Scouts For Trees’ partnership. The aim is ensure that each of the 400,000 Scouts in the UK could have the chance to plant a tree to mark the Centenary of Scouting in 2007. The initiative also provides Scouts and young people with the opportunity to learn about and engage in, woodland conservation.
The joint venture is part of the Woodland Trust’s Tree For All campaign, the biggest ever children’s tree planting operation, which aims to involve one million children in planting twelve million trees across the UK – the equivalent to one tree for every child under the age of sixteen. Already over 3.5 million trees have been planted as part of Tree For All, 45,100 of them in Wales.
Among the groups taking part in the planting was the 1st Caerleon Scouts (1). Denis Mills, who runs the troop, has scouting running in his family: his youngest son is a beaver, his mother-in-law runs the beavers (6-8 years), his wife runs the cubs (8-10), while he runs the scouts (10-14 years). All planted acorns on 21 February. Unfortunately, the Explorers (14-18 years) which are jointly run by his son, were unable to take part!
Before the planting he said: “The Scouts are all looking forward to getting their hands dirty helping to restore Wentwood Forest. As part of the centenary celebrations for Scouting 100 woods are being planted. It’s something that the scouts will be able to look back at in the future, saying that they were part of it. Under our new programme, there’s a section on conservation and environmental projects, so we were keen to be involved.”
The Woodland Trust completed its acquisition of 352 hectares (870 acres) of Wentwood in January this year following a successful campaign to Save Wentwood Forest launched in June last year. The Woodland Trust has paid tribute to local people for their overwhelming support for the campaign. The local public appeal alone raised over £100,000, while at least 30,000 individual donations were received from across the UK and the world.
The Trust had to raise at least £1.5 million to secure the purchase of the site and start its restoration. This support includes contributions and grants from The Tubney Charitable Trust, GrantScape, the Countryside Council for Wales, the Hickinbotham Charitable Trust, the Oak Foundation, and a number of other charitable trusts.
Although Wentwood is Wales’ largest ancient woodland (3), most of it was planted with conifers during the last century, hugely threatening its rare ancient woodland wildlife. The Woodland Trust now aims to restore Wentwood, and although this is a huge task, this children’s event shows that the Trust is determined to involve the local community in the project.
Like almost all Woodland Trust woods, Wentwood Forest is open for the public to visit at any time, for free. The Woodland Trust has set up a special website for the site at: www.wentwoodforest.org.uk This includes a whole range of information about the site and the campaign to save it, including the Trust’s plans to restore the site, its history, how to get their, and a map.
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For media enquiries contact:
Rory Francis (Publicity and Public Affairs Officer for Wales) on 01766 832563 or 07760 171174
Afallon, Tanygrisiau, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3RH
Email roryfrancis@woodland-trust.org.uk
Or Jon Winder, who manages the site for the Woodland Trust, on 01600 719281 or 07769 886 013
Or The Woodland Trust Press Office email media@woodland-trust.org.uk on Tel 01476 581121
Notes for editors
1. The Scout groups taking part were: 1st Wyesham, 25th Air / Sea scouts, 12-Belvoir Scouts, 1st Caerleon, 1st Marshfield, 1st Bassaleg Cubs, 29th Cardiff, 1st Henllys Beavers, 16th Newport Scout Group, 1st Marshfield
The Scout Association
For information about “Scouts for Trees” activities visit www.treeforall.org.uk/scouts
or www.scouts.org.uk/2007
There are opportunities for people to support The Scout Association by becoming volunteers. For more information visit www.scouts.org.uk
For further information about the Scout Association and the Centenary celebrations
Please contact the Scout Association Press Office on 07977 539 630 or at www.scouts.org.uk
Or Mike Breakwell, Gwent Area Project Officer on 01291 689942 areaoffice@gwentscouts.org.uk
Centenary of Scouting
• 2007 marks a hundred years of scouting, and will see nearly 500,000 young people in the UK joining in the Centenary celebrations. Events will run throughout the year at local, regional, national and international level. A key element of the celebrations will be 40,000 Scouts from over 200 countries meeting at the World Scout Jamboree in Essex on the 1st August.
• Across the world, 2007 is likely to be the largest ever example of youth cooperation and one of the biggest global celebrations since the turn of the Millennium. The Centenary will signal a new age in Scouting, and will provide an opportunity to reflect on how the movement was founded, what is has achieved, but also where it is going.
About Scouting
• Adventure is at the core of Scouting. The Scout Association passionately believes in helping their members fulfil their full physical, intellectual social and spiritual potentials by working in teams, learning by doing and thinking for themselves. The Centenary year will provide even more opportunities for members to do this, and to continue to take risks in a safe environment, and have their first taste of responsibility.
• Over 200 activities are offered by Scouting around the UK, made possible by the efforts of 100,000 voluntary adult leaders. This has helped make Scouting the largest co-educational youth Movement in the country.
• Scouting is the largest co-educational youth Movement in the UK
• Adults working in Scouting contribute in excess of 364 million hours of voluntary work each year to their local communities.
• The number of volunteers working for Scouting is bigger than the combined workforces of the BBC (24,000) and McDonalds (67,000) put together.
• Worldwide Scouting has 28 million Members both male and female and operates in nearly every country in the world.
Coed Cadw (The Woodland Trust)
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 250,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s awareness and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). These include over 100 sites in Wales, with a total area of 1,580 hectares (3,900 acres). It offers free public access to nearly all of its sites. Further news can be accessed via www.coed-cadw.org.uk The Trust adopted a new Welsh language name in 2000: “Coed Cadw”. This is an old Welsh term, used in medieval laws to describe protected or preserved woodland.
