By Alex Marshall | Charity Intern
The past month has been positively overflowing with tree-planting, community events and volunteer days. With just under 1000 local school children supported by 60 volunteers, 500 new trees were planted in the wood - including 25 disease-resistant Elms!
Tree Planting Fortnight and National Tree Week
Our annual tree planting fortnight began on Saturday 16th November with a community planting day. The early winter sun was shining on Harmony Woods as we were joined by residents from Andover and surrounding villages for a morning and afternoon session of planting. Once the whips were in the ground many people stayed on to help beat-up the unsuccessful trees from the last season of planting.
From then until Friday 29th November, just under 1000 children from 22 local schools added their own trees to the wood, some arriving with trees that they have been nurturing in their school gardens over the past year.
Now planted, these trees extend the woodland by a further 500. With 200 more to be planted by schools after Christmas, 100 more at our Plant-for-the-Planet Academy in March 2020, and another 200 for hedge planting and beating up - to be done during community and workdays January to March 2020 - this will take the total number of trees added to the wood during this season to 1000!
Despite a few soggy days, the fortnight ended the same way it had begun: filled with sunshine, excitement and enthusiasm - a great success!
Alex Walker from Portway Junior School, thanked our team for a brilliant morning saying that the children were positively “buzzing” after their morning in the woods. Very well done to all the pupils from our participating schools for their astounding contribution to the woodland, whatever the weather. And a big thank you to all the organisations, volunteers and generous donators who gave their time or money to support them. Your efforts are enormously appreciated!
We had a fantastic team of regular volunteers who worked from the daily set up at 8am each day, through till the last tools had been put away 7 hours later! In total, 60 different people gave their time in the wood over the course of the fortnight to help the sessions run smoothly and to support the children to plant their trees. This 60 includes returning volunteers and new recruits, employees from Abel and Cole, the British Army, the Coop Depot, college students and secondary school students from Harrow Way and Winton who came to plant their own trees as well as support the younger primary school children. Invited guests and VIPs included the Mayor of Test Valley Cllr Martin Hatley, Cllr Phil North, Director of Woodland Creation for the Woodland Trust John Tucker and Lorna Cumming-Bruce from Semble.
Cllr Phil North, leader of Test Valley Borough Council said "It was great to join pupils from local schools to help plant the next section of woodland between Augusta Park and Enham Alamein. Planting trees doesn't just create fantastic landscapes which is important for biodiversity, it is absolutely vital in tackling climate change. My thanks go to Wendy Davis and all at Andover Trees United for all they do in planting and maintaining this amazing woodland."
Gemma Regniez from The British Army Communications Team added ”Our team had a fantastic morning helping out; it’s a great opportunity to use our volunteering days. We’re encouraging more of our colleagues to take part!”
As well as being mid-way through Planting Fortnight, the 23rd of November was also the start of National Tree Week, where organisations across the whole of the UK plant trees to enhance the British landscape, help protect biodiversity and combat climate change. Thanks to a grant from The Tree Council, we were able to acquire 25 Dutch-elm-disease resistant Elm trees, one for each of our partner schools. Meaning that the local children are not only creating a community woodland, but they are reintroducing a much-loved tree back into the landscape.
December & January
We had a wonderful evening in December as we celebrated the end of another fantastic year of work at our Lantern Procession and Tree Dressing event in Harmony Woods. It was a magical atmosphere as friends old and new came together to celebrate with trees, mulled wine, mince pies & music.
We have also been working with the community in the allotment – sorting and labelling the new tree whips and planting next year’s trees into our nursery.
In the coming weeks, schools that could not attend Planting Fortnight will be visiting the wood to plant their trees. Around 100 more trees will be added by the end of winter, meaning another 200 children will be outdoors connecting with nature.
Thankyou!
We would like to give a special thanks to you for your continued support. I hope you can see what a fantastic impact your donations are having, and on behalf of the whole team, we hope you had a wonderful holiday season!
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