The Woodland Trust, Scouts and Girlguiding UK members celebrated the end of a joint project which has seen them plant over half a million trees over the course of almost three years since January 2007 at the rate of nearly 500 trees every day.
The Trust received £200,000 funding towards the project from The Veolia Environmental Trust, awarded through the Landfill Communities Fund.
To celebrate the end of the partnership all parties came together for a day of activities and a ceremonial tree planting at Frylands Wood campsite in Croydon to recognise the hard work of all concerned.
During the course of the project both the Scouts and Girlguiding UK members took part in tree planting with the Woodland Trust at sites across the country; the Scouts in 2007 planted at 100 woods to mark 100 years and Girlguiding UK planted 56,000 tress in the run up to its Centenary celebrations this year. The scouts planted 595,000 trees in total all of which have helped the Trust’s “Tree for All” scheme – which has now planted over seven million trees since 2004.
Christina Joachim, People Engagement Officer with the Woodland Trust explains the success of the partnership: “Tree planting is at the heart of the Woodland Trust’s core aims and being able to work so closely with UK wide organisations such as the Scouts and Girlguiding UK members means we can reach out to a large audience of young people throughout the country. There is no better testament to their work than seeing the appearance of half a million trees in the ground. And obviously none of this would have been possible without the generous funding from The Veolia Environmental Trust.”
The Executive Director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, Margaret Cobbold, adds, “This has been an excellent project, with several significant outcomes important to the Trust. It has given young people the chance to engage with nature and learn new skills, created a legacy for future generations to enjoy, and created habitats for different plant and animal species. I look forward to hearing about the woods thriving in the coming years.”
Liz Burnley, Chief Guide Girlguiding UK added: "To mark Girlguiding UK’s centenary year nearly 300,000 girls and young women have taken action on an issue of their choice. It is fantastic that over 20,000 girls have had the opportunity to get out in the countryside and plant a tree with the Woodland Trust "Tree for All" project."
Seventeen year old Scout Natalie Christy said: “I really enjoyed planting trees at Frylands Camp Site. It was hard work, but well worth it. When we come here to Frylands Wood, although it is just outside London, with all the beautiful trees and wild animals and space we feel like we are in the middle of the countryside” Nick Mellis, also a seventeen year old scout, said: “I spend so many weekends camping down here, and to plant a tree that will be here for a long time is a great kick.”
The Tree For All campaign has a target to plant 12 million trees across the UK, one for every child. Approximately 150 major partners have been involved, with over 9,300 hectares (23,000 acres) of new woodland being created so far, equivalent to the area of almost 13,000 football pitches. Find out more at www.treeforall.org.uk
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 Veolia Environmental Trust:
Has been supporting community and environmental projects for over twelve years. In 2007 it initiated three special funding projects with three of the UK’s leading conservation and improvement organisations – the Woodland Trust, BTCV, and The Wildlife Trusts.
Under the Landfill Communities Fund, registered landfill site operators can donate a percentage of their landfill tax liability in return for a tax credit. This credit is available to environmental bodies to fund mainly environmental, community and restoration projects. Currently landfill operators can donate up to 6% of their landfill tax liability.
Since the Veolia Environmental Trust was established in 1997, Veolia Environmental Services (UK) plc has supported it by contributions of £39 million for 995 projects . These grants have been used for a diverse range of projects, including the repair of woodland footpaths, improvements to village halls and the installation of playgrounds.
Girlguiding UK:
Girlguiding UK is the UK’s largest voluntary organisation for girls and young women, with over 550,000 members and recognised volunteers. One in four eight-year-old girls is a Brownie and almost half of all the women in the UK have been involved in guiding at some stage in their lives. We run Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Senior Section, enabling girls and young women to develop their potential whatever their ability or background. We are striving to offer new opportunities to a broad diversity of communities through our expanding network of 60,000 trained volunteer Leaders.
At Girlguiding UK we seek to give girls a voice and provide a unique, girl-only space where members feel comfortable just being themselves. Our members, challenged by a girl-led programme that extends beyond badges, enjoy a spectrum of activities from outdoor adventure to pop-concerts to community action.
Girlguiding UK, part of a worldwide Movement of approximately 10 million girls and young women in 145 countries, launched its Centenary celebrations in September 2009. Registered Charity No: 306016, www.girlguiding.org.uk
Scouting UK:
Founded in 1907, the Scouting movement now involves girls and boys, men and women from every race, religion and culture, and nearly every country in the world.
The worldwide Centenary of Scouting is an opportunity to promote the values, benefits and achievements of the organisation to the world, and also for the millions of Scouts around the world to make a real difference to the lives of others through their centenary activities. The single theme for all events and activities for the Centenary of Scouting. www.scouts.org.uk