2 April 2007
Scouts roll up their sleeves to create new native woodland
New partnership with Woodland Trust to mark centenary
Around 110 Scouts from 8 different groups (1) teamed up with the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw), the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity last Saturday, to plant native trees at Bryn Bwlan, land that was previously planted with Christmas trees, half way between Bala and Llandrillo in the beautiful Meirionnydd countryside.
The planting event was part 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.
The Woodland Trust is very grateful to Mr Nicholas Selbie, who owns the site, and to UPM Tilhill, who manage it, for making this event possible, and to the Forestry Commission Wales Education Team for assisting with supervision on the day.
Among the groups taking part in the planting was the 1st Harlech Scouts.
Benjie Williams, who runs the troop, said: “We were keen to take part because it’s the Scouts 100th anniversary. It’s a one-off opportunity for these kids – they won’t get another chance. I think it’s a brilliant thing that the Scouts have been going for 100 years.”
Bryn Bwlan, also known as Pale Park, is gently sloping site that, when planted with broadleaved trees, will provide a wonderful habitat for wildlife. The Christmas trees which previously grew on the site have recently been harvested, and the Mr Selbie, the owner, recognised the opportunity not just to improve the local environment by replanting native trees, but to give young people by chance to get involved by actually planting the trees.
The trees planted were mixed broadleaves, such oak, ash and hazel.
To make sure that every school and youth group has the chance to get involved in the Tree For All campaign, the Woodland Trust is offering them a free pack of 30 trees for planting a small length of hedge or a copse. Schools groups and youth groups wishing to take up this offer should log on to: www.woodland-trust.org.uk/hedge and fill in the online form. The packs come with guidance on how to plant and maintain the trees, plus bilingual curriculum linked activities.
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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 The Woodland Trust Press Office email media@woodland-trust.org.uk or Tel 01476 581121
Notes for editors
1. The Scout groups due to take part were: 3rd Llandudno Junction; 1st Denbigh Brynbach;1st Chirk; 1st Harlech; 1st Shrewsbury Cubs & Beavers; 1st Bayston Hill; 1st Rhosnessney Scouts; Kinnerton Scouts
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
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 its Welsh language name in 2000: “Coed Cadw”. This is an old Welsh term, used in medieval laws to describe protected or preserved woodland.
