Local community groups urged to bid for free trees.
Local Assembly Member, Leonie Cooper, is urging community groups across Merton and Wandsworth to apply for free trees from City Hall. This comes on the back of the Mayor of London’s announcement, to mark next month’s tree week, that 55,000 trees are up for grabs for Londoners.
Londoners can apply for one of the 55,000 trees to plant in their gardens and shared green spaces, and for larger community led ‘plant-athons’. The free trees are part of a total of 95,000 new trees the Mayor is helping Londoners plant this autumn and winter, including during National Tree Week (23 November – 1 December 2019).
Local London Assembly Member, Leonie Cooper AM, said:
“Merton and Wandsworth have some great green spaces and so many community groups working on improving the local environment. I want to urge as many of those groups as possible to make a bid for some trees to help us all address the climate and ecological crisis locally.
“The Mayor and I are working hard at City Hall to improve London’s environment but also resident’s health and mental wellbeing. I am proud that London has a Mayor that is pursuing ambitious targets for the capital, such as the bid to be the world’s first National Park City. These opportunities are a great way for local groups to help achieve those targets with us”
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Notes to editors
Notes
- Leonie Cooper AM is the London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth
- The 30,000 trees for Londoners to plant at home are part of the Woodland Trust’s Big Climate Fightback campaign, which is calling on one million people across the UK to pledge to plant a tree to help fight the climate emergency:http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/our-campaigns/big-climate-fightback/
- The 33 Community Tree Planting projects funded through the Mayor’s Greener City Fund can be found online at:https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/parks-green-spaces-and-biodiversity/greener-city-fund/community-tree-planting-grants-2019-20#acc-i-58978. Over 200 green space and tree planting projects have been supported by the Greener City Fund since 2017. *Figures from the London iTree Eco report 2015:https://www.london.gov.uk/WHAT-WE-DO/environment/environment-publications/valuing-londons-urban-forest
- All trees provided by the Woodland Trust and the Conservation Volunteers are UK sourced and grown. The packs of two trees provided by the Woodland Trust for Londoners to plant at home include one rowan tree and one wild cherry, relatively small trees suitable for gardens that also provide valuable habitat for a range of wildlife. Trees in TCV community tree packs are available in a number of combinations, specially chosen for hedgerows, wildlife habitat, and providing fruit.
For more information please contact Research Support Officer, Sam Nicholas, on 020 7983 4400. Number not for publication.