PRESS RELEASE – 27th March 2017 – for immediate release.

Pupils from Oak Tree Primary School took part in a native tree planting event on their school site on the 16th March.

The funding for 60 hedgerow trees was secured from the Woodland Trust. Officers from Greenwood Partnership attended the event to assist with the planting and to make sure the children know how to look after their new trees.

18 children from the School Council children worked in small teams to plant the small native trees, alongside 3 adult helpers. The activity took place in British Science Week.

They hope the plants will quickly become established and create a wildlife haven for the new school site. The school hopes to repeat the activity over the next few years to create a hedgerow around their site, which will create a space for wildlife to flourish.

Matt Thorne, Teacher and Science Coordinator at Oak Tree Primary said

“Having the Woodland Trust support to provide us with a selection of native trees has helped us to start our hedgerow. We could not have done this without the expertise of Greenwood Partnership to help us plant them.

We hope our trees flourish over the coming years and that we can extend the boundary to create an even more extensive wildlife habitat.”

Nic Wort, Project Officer for Greenwood, said: “The Greenwood team is committed to supporting schools to plant trees and working with the Woodland Trust has helped us to reach even more schools and encourage them to plant native trees in their school grounds. Trees are a great natural teaching resource and will also provide a shady area for outdoor lessons in years to come.”

For more information about school contact Corinna Brown, Extended Services Coordinator, scaesc@oaktreelane.notts.sch.uk / 0797 424 9449.

Trees for Schools is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and delivered in partnership with the Woodland Trust and Greenwood Community Forest.

The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has over 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife.

The Trust has three key aims: i) protect ancient woodland which is rare, unique and irreplaceable, ii) restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life, iii) plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering over 22,500 hectares. Access to its woods is free.

Contact the press office on 01476 581121or deesmith@woodlandtrust.org.uk

The Greenwood Community Forest covers 161 square miles, mainly between Nottingham and Mansfield and stretching from Eastwood in the west to Farnsfield in the east.

A small team works through a partnership to deliver a diverse range of projects that are helping to transform underused and derelict land into wildlife rich woodlands and green open spaces.

Engaging communities is central to the team’s way of working, enabling people to create, manage and use new green spaces which enhance the neighbourhood, provide new habitats for wildlife and improve the life of those living in and around the area.

For further information about the Greenwood Community Forest contact 0115 9932593 or email greenwood@nottscc.gov.uk