Third Sector recognises Trust tree planting efforts
The Woodland Trust has won a national Third Sector Excellence Award for its acclaimed tree-planting partnership with Essex County Council (ECC).
The accolade, which was in the Public Sector Partnership category, followed ECC’s Essex Tree Initiative to grow 395,000 new native trees as part of the EssexWorks environmental pledge to make Essex the best place to live and work by 2012 – in which the conservation charity played a lead role.
In total, 144,000 broadleaf trees were planted by the Trust on 42 hectares of land at eight sites across the county. An incredible amount of community support saw 47,375 people involved, 55% of Essex schools supplied with Tree Packs and 39,960 trees planted by schoolteachers and schoolchildren alone.
That tally included 24,000 trees planted by the Trust last winter on 11.5 hectares of land across the county through the Trust’s new MOREwoods programme to encourage landowners to plant on their own land – free of charge.
Funding is being repeated this year, and the Trust wants to create 17 hectares of new woodland (approximately 17,000 trees) for landowners within Essex before the end of March 2010.
This is the second time ECC has been recognised for the Essex Tree Initiative, having recently won BTCV Green Heroes Awards for Best Partnership and Best Project. Last year, 200 BTCV volunteers gave their time to plant 21,574 new trees and contributed 2700 workdays to the cause.
County Councillor Tracey Chapman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste said: “I am delighted that the Essex Tree Initiative has received the recognition it deserves and I would like to congratulate the Woodland Trust for all of its hard work. I’d also like to thank Lord Hanningfield, who originally came up with the Essex Tree Initiative.
“We are lucky to count the Woodland Trust as one of our environmental partners and they will play a major role, along with our other partners, in our European partnership to promote and expand Essex Woodland.”
John Brown, Woodland Trust Regional Development Officer said: “It has been really brilliant working with Essex Council on this project as they are so much in tune with our own aspirations of quality woodland creation throughout the County for the people of Essex. We are now working with them again to provide further new woodland now and for the future, with applications now invited from landowners who want to plant trees this winter.”Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.
The Essex Tree Initiative saw ECC work with all major conservation bodies, District and Parish councils, and community third sector organisations to achieve the final total of 395,000 additional trees planted during 2008/9 in Essex. Over 50,000 people participated in tree planting events countywide. Many diverse sectors took part, from Buddhist centres to probationers, from boys clubs to golf clubs. Libraries also saw an upturn in footfall of over 50% when tree initiative events took place.
For more information contact Nicola Toulson in Communications on 01245 430929 or email nicola.toulson@essex.gov.uk