It's Tree For All in the National Forest
The first trees of the Tree for All Weekend will be planted in The National Forest on Monday 15 November.
Sixty children aged 9 –11 from Pear Tree Community Junior School in Derby will be planting native woodland trees on the Staunton Harold estate, near Ashby de la Zouch. They will also spend time playing environmental games and learning about trees, bugs and minibeasts at Rosliston Forestry Centre, South Derbyshire.
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. Working with key partners such as the National Forest Company (NFC), BTCV and the Forestry Commission, 12 million trees will be planted throughout the UK over the next 5 years, one for every child under 16 in the UK. It will make a spectacular contribution to Britain’s landscape and wildlife, and aims to enthuse children and adults with love and respect for the natural world.
“We are delighted to be able to bring more children to The National Forest to plant trees with us and experience the fun of being in a woodland,” said Sue Anderson, Community Liaison Officer, NFC. “Recent research has shown that living near woodlands is one of the top ten ways to improve your quality of life. The Woodland Trust’s Tree for All campaign is taking the message of the benefits of trees and woodlands for our own well-being and for that of the environment throughout the whole country, and we are very happy to be part of that.”
Six Derby schools will be taking part in Tree for All in The National Forest over the next two weeks, bringing over 300 children to the Forest who may well have had little prior experience of trees and the countryside. The six schools are: Pear Tree Community Junior School, Lakeside Community Primary School, Boulton Primary School, Dale Community Primary School, Arboretum Primary School and St James’ Church of England School.
Other schools are invited to take part in future events: please contact Sue Anderson at the National Forest Company on 01283 551211. For more information on The National Forest visit http://www.nationalforest.org/
