Liff Primary go wild to plant trees
Local storyteller Robbie Fotheringham led pupils from Liff Primary on a magical, literary journey at the Woodland Trust Scotland Woods, Backmuir Wood recently. The storytelling put the finishing touches to a tree planting packed morning putting both nature and literature under the spotlight. This was one of many events taking place across the UK as part of the summer reading challenge.
Run by the Reading Agency, the Summer Reading Challenge encourages children throughout the UK to get reading, and has been running in libraries throughout July and August – every parent’s godsend! This year, nature and the environment are at the heart of the Challenge, aptly entitled the Big Wild Read.
The Big Wild Read is supporting the Woodland Trust’s Tree For All campaign - the largest ever children’s tree-planting initiative the UK has ever seen, with a target to plant 12 million trees. Children taking part in the Big Wild Read are helping to reach that target, as each book they read earns ‘tree tokens’ which go towards the planting of thousands of new trees.
Andrew Fairbairn of the Woodland Trust adds: “We’re delighted to give children the chance to plant trees through Tree For All and the Big Wild Read, and pleased that Backmuir Wood has been chosen as one of the associated woods. Many children have enjoyed the challenge over the summer; now it’s our chance to inspire some of them further by involving them in planting trees.”
The Big Wild Read links to BBC’s ‘Breathing Places’ environment initiative (bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces) which is encouraging people to engage with nature. It's part of public libraries' new partnership with BBC Vision Learning, led by the Reading Agency.
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Jacqui Morris on 01355 578777 or mobile 07979 706675 alternatively call The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, e-mail
media@woodlandtrust.org.ukThe 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.
In 1984, the Trust acquired its first wood in Scotland. In the last 25 years the Trust has increased its holdings in Scotland it now owns 80 sites across Scotland covering 8,500 hectares. Further news can be accessed via this website.
The Reading Agency
An independent reading development agency, a charity, funded by Arts Council England. It works mainly with public libraries to achieve its vision of a society in which everyone has free, democratic access to reading. The charity’s main areas of work are policy, research, advocacy, national partnerships and national programmes like the Summer Reading ChallengeTM – all with an emphasis on innovation.
Now in its ninth year, the reading challenge, is a favourite with children and their parents. It makes visits to the local library during the summer holidays extra special fun for children by offering great incentives and rewards for reading. Last year 660,000 children took part in The Reading Mission reading challenge, over half of them reading six or more books.
Breathing Places and BBC Vision Learning
Breathing Places is a ground breaking collaboration between the BBC and leading wildlife and conservation organisations that connects people with nature in an enjoyable way. The BBC Breathing Places initiative sits within the BBC Vision Learning section of the BBC and has been running since 2005. BBC Vision Learning projects work with broadcast programmes and take these from being passively consumed on TV to actively engaging the public with the programmes.
BBC Breathing Places works with a number of broadcast partners like Springwatch, Autumnwatch, CBBC and CBeebies, and external partners (environmental organisations, charities, etc) – to engage people with nature.
bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces