Information on Loughborough

Residents dig in to make their community greener

Posted on 21/02/2012

Leicestershire Councty Council Environment & Transport

21 February 2012

Residents dig in to make their community greener

Villagers from Stoney Stanton have been invited to bring their spades along to a community tree planting event in their village.

An impressive acre - or half a football pitch worth of trees - will be planted by residents of all ages at Carey Hill Recreation Ground on Saturday (Feb 25).

The village is due to become leafier after the parish council applied to have a WIMBY (Woodland in My Backyard) - a scheme organised by the County Hall-based Stepping Stones Project and supported by the Woodland Trust.

Native trees such as Oak, Ash, Birch, Hazel and Guelder Rose will be planted.

Ruth Camamile, Chairman of the Stepping Stones Project, said: We are delighted that Stoney Stanton has not only opted to have a WIMBY, but that the community is able to get involved in creating it.

The native tree planting will provide essential food and shelter for wildlife while improving the appearance of the area for people who use it.”

Francis Gent, Chairman of Stoney Stanton Parish Council, said: "We are pleased to be able to make the village a bit leafier by planting a WIMBY, and the fact residents are able to join us in planting it will mean it will leave an extra special legacy."

Laura Parry from the Woodland Trust added: "WIMBY has proved to be a great success in supporting communities in Leicestershire who want to plant trees. Our aim is to double the amount of native woodland in the UK, but we can only do this by inspiring and supporting people like the villagers in Stoney Stanton who are passionate about the environment."

Woodland cover in Leicestershire is well below the English average and the WIMBY aims to help change this by encouraging communities and landowners to do their bit.

The scheme provides funding and support for those who would like to make a contribution to increasing tree cover in the Stepping Stones Project area.

For further information and details on which areas the project covers, call the Stepping Stones Project Officer on 0116 305 7221 or visit: www.leics.gov.uk/stepping_stones

For more on the Woodland Trust visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

                      ENDS

Background:

The Stepping Stones Project has been running since 1992 and represents a partnership working in and around Leicester that aims to improve green space and make high quality green infrastructure available to all.

Stepping Stones Project is a partnership funded by:

  • Leicestershire County Council
  • Blaby District Council
  • Charnwood Borough Council
  • Harborough District Council
  • Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
  • Oadby and Wigston Borough Council

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.

Woodlands are incredibly important in communities, providing opportunities for recreation, improved health, creating the kind of local environment where people want to live and work and businesses want to invest, increasing wildlife, flood alleviation and CO2 storage.