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Wow, what a busy National Tree Week 2022!
The theme this year was #HiddenConnections, with a focus on fungi, roots and mycorrhizae - the symbiotic association between tree roots and fungi.
We saw some fantastic coverage, from Hort Week's detailed chat with Kew Garden's research leader in mycology, Laura M. Suez; to this wonderfully accessible CBBC Newsround article.
Our free, online Tree Talks also proved hugely popular. We were delighted to welcome hundreds of guests to Demystifying the Tangled World of Tree Roots, with Sharon Durdant-Hollamby and Trees and Fungi Working Together with Professor Martin Bidartondo - setting a Tree Council record attendance!
We’re also hugely grateful to all who supported our Big Give Christmas Challenge Campaign. We were delighted to raise a fantastic £23,774 for our Orchards for Schools programme. Applications will open in January and we’ll let you know when they go live – please do encourage your local school to apply.
Special thanks go to OT Group and The Impact Fund for providing the match funds for the campaign, and Ground Control for their tree-mendously generous donation. |
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Thank you for your help planting trees during National Tree Week!
Team Tree Council was joined in Petersfield, Hampshire by a number of volunteers from our corporate partners.
Huge thanks go to all who joined us from: C. Hoare & Co, Fenwick, Ground Control, hgh Consulting, JGP, Kind & Co, LaSalle, NFU Mutual, Plastic Energy, Savills, Serious Tissues, Spar UK and The Drop Project Brewing Company.
Our volunteers weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, whether wheelbarrowing mulch and compost, or pruning back brambles to help regenerate a hedgerow!
Together, we also helped to create a new ‘mini forest’ using the Miyawaki method.
The ‘tennis court’ sized forest is part of a wider tree planting project aiming to encourage populations of endangered dormice through improvements to habitat diversity and tree cover.
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DID YOU TAKE SOME #TREETIME?
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For National Tree Week 2022, we wanted to try and give everyone an opportunity to get outside, engage with the nature on their doorstep, and take some #TreeTime!
From a busy streets to a tranquil footpaths, spending time with our local trees and hedgerows can open our eyes to the everyday wonders around us and really improve our wellbeing.
To help, every morning we posted a tree-laxing suggestion, and we were overwhelmed by the incredibly creative responses we received!
The book bundle winner was Diana Cotter - @DianaCotter5 - you can see her colourful leaf rainbow at the top of this column!
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BRANCHING OUT FUND EXTENDED
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Thanks to generous support, we are delighted to announce that the Branching Out Fund - supporting schools, community groups and Tree Warden Networks to plant trees, hedges and orchards -is extended to 15 January 2023!
The extension is only for NEW applications, not those currently in progress. Grants can be between £200 and £2,000 but if you think your project may exceed the upper limit, we would still love to hear from you, so please do get in touch info@treecouncil.org.uk.
The funding covers tree establishment costs, with extra support available for projects focused on improving conditions for wildlife and biodiversity thanks to the fantastic support of our partner, Animal Friends.
Our Branching Out Fund would not be possible without your generous backing - please encourage your local community groups and schools to apply!
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'TREE LOVE' BEER LAUNCHED
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Our friends over at The Drop Project have put their heads together and come up with a perfect Christmas tipple!
They describe their new beer as "a lip smacking Belgian Kriek style sour that’s made using a delicious blend of malt and sour cherries which gives this beer a full body with sweetness up front and a nice crisp finish".
We think it's a brilliant way to launch our partnership with The Drop Project, and not just because it's called Tree Love!
Thank you to The Drop Project Team for pledging to plant 200 trees of metres of hedgerow with our support.
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NEW 'PLUM MALLING ELIZABETH' PLANTED BY HRH THE DUKE OF KENT WITH GRENFELL RESIDENTS
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Our Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Kent, marked National Tree Week by planting a new variety of plum tree especially cultivated to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign, in a community garden space on the Lancaster West Estate in west London.
The Lancaster West gardening project is an important part of Grenfell recovery for the community. The LW Neighbourhood Team is committed to creating a garden estate to support residents to grow, eat and share food together. This innovative programme is enabling residents to gain gardening training, experience and confidence to volunteer and find employment.
Earlier this year, The Tree Council also supported the planting of a 30m fruiting hedge which contributed to the greening of the Lancaster West Estate which has seen 2000sqm of grey space turn green in the last three years.
The community gardeners and residents from the estate assisted with the planting of the new variety of plum. It is called ‘Plum Malling Elizabeth’ in honour of The Queen’s lifelong dedication to the nation, and was cultivated in the village of East Malling in Kent.
The chair of the LW Residents' Association, Abbas Dadou, said: "We're delighted that the Duke of Kent has chosen to visit and recognise the work of our local community." |
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