FInal call for help to plant new woodland

A final call for volunteers is being made this week to help plant 500 trees in new woodland being created in King's Lynn on Saturday.

The Big Plant 2020, organised by Churches Together in King’s Lynn, is being supported by the borough council by providing the land at King's Reach in Fairstead, helping with the planting and pledging ongoing maintenance of the new woodland.

The West Norfolk Trees of Hope initiative, also being supported by the Woodland Trust, hopes to encourage large-scale tree planting as a natural way to remove carbon from the atmosphere and reduce global warming.

People are asked to join the tree-planting team by taking a spade and visiting them on Anthony Nolan Road between 9.30am and 3pm. The trees and hot chocolate will be provided for volunteers.

Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds, deputy leader and cabinet member for culture, heritage and health, said: “The need to plant trees within the borough has always been high on our agenda and, following the adoption of the borough council Tree and Woodland Strategy, the need to create a new, semi-urban woodland was thought to be the best way to achieve a greater tree canopy cover within the borough whilst engaging the local community and ensuring a greener future for King’s Lynn.

“Following discussions with the Churches Together group, we decided on the location and the species mix for the new woodland. The borough council provided the land and will continue to maintain the woodland into the future whilst the Churches Together Group have bought the trees following consultation with our arboricultural officer and The Woodland Trust.

“I invite as many people as possible to come to help plant the trees and hope that the local residents will be able to take ownership and perhaps become guardians of the new wood.”
Rev Dan Tansey, from the Church in the Woottons, added: “We want as many people as possible to get involved so we can plant a lot of trees this year and then more the next and then more the year after to keep this project going.”

People can still donate to the project with £5 being enough to fund two small Whip trees and guards, £10 equates to four Whips, and £50 would help the team plant more than 20 trees in a future project,

Cheques need to be made out to King’s Lynn Churches Together and marked with “Trees of Hope” on the back and can be handed into any King's Lynn churches. People can also donate online via the project’s Facebook page.

For further details email treesofhope@gmail.com or call Dan on 07928 825 060.