Music legend Nile Rodgers says ‘we are family’ to trees in Northern Ireland
Communications, engagement & volunteers manager ‑ Northern Ireland
American music legend Nile Rodgers, his We Are Family Foundation and his band CHIC are throwing their weight behind woodland and community in the Faughan Valley, starting with a £35,000 donation to the Woodland Trust and initial pledges totalling more than £100,000.
The multiple Grammy Award winner and star of this year’s Glastonbury festival – known for chart-topping hits including We Are Family and Le Freak – is helping protect the rare and precious ancient woodland in the Faughan Valley, near Derry/Londonderry, as well as helping create new woodland.
The new woodland will further connect the landscape, buffering and protecting the ancient woodland which is so rare in Northern Ireland that it covers just 0.04% of the country. It provides vital homes for wildlife and a breathing space for the community.
Faughan Valley Woodlands is home to a significant proportion of this ancient woodland. Since 2000, the Woodland Trust has bought small clusters of native woodlands including Brackfield, Oaks, Red Brae, Burntollet, Killaloo and Oughtagh, all fragmented along the Faughan Valley – a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
It has been the vision of the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland for over a decade to connect these fragments for people and nature, helping to tackle climate change by getting more trees in the ground and by protecting those that are already there. Reconnecting the landscape also means wildlife can respond better to threats including climate change, giving them the chance to spread out, move and adapt.
Nile Rodgers said:
"I really appreciate the work of the Woodland Trust. Nature was always valued by me and my peers as the most important thing in the world. When you start to appreciate our planet at an early age you naturally have – the word is more than respect – it’s love. That’s it, it’s love."
Woodland Trust Northern Ireland director, John Martin, added:
"On behalf of all at the Woodland Trust we thank Nile Rodgers and the We Are Family Foundation for their wonderful support for woods and trees in the Faughan Valley. This is a powerful endorsement of our mission to protect and restore Northern Ireland’s precious native woodlands for generations to come."
As the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust has been managing woods within the Faughan Valley for over 20 years. The Faughan Valley Woodlands are 10 minutes from Derry/Londonderry and a one-hour drive from Belfast.
Visitors can explore the breathtaking landscapes and immerse themselves in the tranquil beauty of nature. Walking trails have been carefully designed to showcase the unique flora and fauna that call this woodland home, providing an opportunity for both leisurely strolls and invigorating rambles. A beautiful sculpture trail weaves throughout the woodlands, providing hidden wonders just waiting to be explored.
The Woodland Trust thanks all supporters of its work in the Faughan Valley. Alongside Nile Rodgers and his We Are Family Foundation, they include The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), The National Lottery Heritage Fund, DAERA’s Rural Development Programme and support from Derry City and Strabane City Council.
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact Lynsey Nixon on 07876 035808 or LynseyNixon@woodlandtrust.org.uk.
About the Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters.
With a vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, today the Trust owns and cares for more than 1,000 woodland sites, covering around 33,000 hectares.
The Woodland Trust has three key aims:
- protecting the UK's rare, unique and irreplaceable ancient woodland
- restoring damaged ancient woodland, nurturing precious pieces of our natural heritage back to life
- establishing new native trees and woods to create healthy, resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Access to all Woodland Trust woods is free so everyone can experience the physical and mental benefits of trees.
Woodland Trust Northern Ireland’s estate in the Faughan Valley and north west consists of:
- Brackfield Farm Wood (61.5 hectares)
- Brackfield Wood, including Red Brae (21.67 hectares)
- Burntollet Wood (23.96 hectares)
- Killaloo Wood (10.55 hectares)
- Oaks Wood (5.22 hectares)
- Oughtagh Wood (40.1 hectares)
- Prehen Wood (7.48 hectares)
- a total of 170.48 hectares.
About We Are Family Foundation
We Are Family Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation co-founded by legendary musician Nile Rodgers. It is dedicated to the vision of a global family by creating programs that promote cultural diversity while nurturing and mentoring the vision, talents and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world.