Communities come together to lend a hand as tree planting starts at Upton Snodsbury

A series of dedicated planting days have been organised for volunteers to come onto site and play their part in growing the county’s newest green spaces.

One of the groups who have helped is the Worcestershire Woodlands Project. They work with many adults with care and support needs from across Worcestershire, helping to improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing through conservation work and improving their social skills using social forestry principles in a unique woodland setting. Worcester Environmental Group have also been on site.

A group of the county’s care leavers were also pleased to take up the opportunity and helped to plant and guard up over 400 trees on their visit.

One of the care leavers, who helped to plant trees, said: “It was a fantastic experience and it built my confidence up a lot more I would like to thank all the staff that were there, they taught us a lot about trees and planting them. I am proud of the many trees we all planted. Teamwork makes the dream work. and in a few years, the woodland is going to look beautiful once it is all finished.”

Councillor Richard Morris, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Councillor Linda Robinson, County Councillor for Upton Snodsbury have also visited the site to check on progress as we head towards Spring.

The Upton Snodsbury site, will have 16,000 trees when completed, as well as a new community orchard.

The site is part of the County Council’s plans to plant 150,000 trees at sites across the county.

Councillor Richard Morris, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “It has been wonderful to see spades in the ground here in Upton Snodsbury and to see and hear about so many people on site, enjoying the opportunity in the great outdoors to helping us to plant the trees. I’d like to thank all of those who have agreed to come and help us as we start the growth another new woodland here in Worcestershire.  I look forward to seeing progress as the seasons change, and I look forward to announcing further sites in the near future, to ensure we meet our target of 150,000 trees.”
 

The County Council announced that further woodlands were being created in Dodderhill Parish, which is north-east of Droitwich, last year, with a further site being announced later this Spring.

Woodlands have also been created at New Farm in Norton and Blackstone Picnic Place in Bewdley. 

This project also will see the county become more pollinator friendly as land alongside the tree planting areas have been set aside as wildflower meadows.
 

It is also hoped a new wetland can be created adjacent to the river Avon.

The tree planting sites will create new native broadleaved woodland across Worcestershire.