Community Tree Planting Grants 2017-18

The London Borough of Barnet was awarded £23,440 to plant 99 trees in parks across the borough. 10 adult volunteers and 90 children from Orion School were involved.

The project planted large-growing trees to increase canopy cover, create shade and improve the look and feel of parks. Trees were planted in:

• Woodcroft Park
• Oak Hill Park
• Hendon Park
• Basing Hill Park
• Lyndhurst Park
• Village Road Open Space
• Brent Green
• Brunswick Park
• Rushgrove Park
• Highlands Gardens
• New Southgate Rec

Find out more on the Barnet Council website.

The Friends of Tiverton Green, working in partnership with the London Borough of Brent, The Orchard Project and Transition Town Kensal to Kilburn, were awarded £6,750 to plant 20 trees in a transformed green space.

The trees will add autumn colour and fruit species, encouraging wildlife, children’s engagement and enabling community harvesting.

Find out more on the Friends of Tiverton Green website.

Getting involved in the actual planting was fun: hopefully in years to come I can say ‘I helped put that tree there!'

Ruth Dar, Chair, Aylestone Park Tenants and Residents Association

Primrose Hill Community Library, working in partnership with Friends of Chalcot Square, Transition Primrose Hill, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and Camden Council, was awarded £5,180 to plant 81 trees, as well as bulbs and other plants in Library Gardens, St. George’s Terrace Gardens and Chalcot Square Gardens.

Part of a multi-year project, the planting has helped to create a vibrant Community Library garden, and an adjacent forest garden in St. George’s Terrace Gardens, for wildlife and people. 33 volunteers contributed to the project.

It is amazing how much difference the tree planting has made to the whole atmosphere of this small but wonderful garden.

Lesley Hawkins, project volunteer

People for Portland Road were awarded £5,251 to plant 25 trees to improve the existing community garden outside South Norwood Leisure Centre. 46 volunteers helped with the project.

The trees and additional shrubs and plants will help to reduce air pollution from traffic on Portland Road, and will enhance the popular seating area.

Projects such as this are so crucial in giving a sense of ownership to where our lives meet in public spaces. These trees will give joy and continue to give joy not only to us, but the wealth of wildlife they will attract and sustain.

Ali, project volunteer

The Hanger Hill Garden Estate Residents Association, working in partnership with Hanger Hill Garden Estate Ltd was awarded £5,000 to plant 20 trees as part of a project to design an overgrown and unattractive green space.

The project has planted new trees and shrubs, improved visibility and helped to make the space safer, more attractive, and easier to maintain whilst restoring its heritage.

Find out more on the Hanger Hill Garden Estate website.

Trees for Cities, working in partnership with the London Borough of Ealing and the Friends of Horsenden Hill, was awarded £25,000 to plant 9,500 trees to create a new 0.56 hectare woodland, “Whittler’s Wood” at Horsenden Hill.

Over 800 volunteers, including 206 students from local schools, helped to plant the woodland over the course of two weekend planting days and additional workshops.

The vision is for Horsenden Hill to become a self-sustaining, working urban woodland: a resource for communities and enterprise hub that connects people with trees.

Find out more on the Trees for Cities website.

The planting event was a triumph in that it brought together people of all ages and from all sectors of our diverse community, people with a common goal who enjoy the simple pleasure of being outdoors and doing something worthwhile for the environment.

Lynda O’Hare, Chair, Friends of Horsenden Hill

Trees for Cities, working in partnership with the London Borough of Ealing, was awarded £15,000 to plant 61 trees on Racecourse Estate, kick-starting a three-year greening programme.

Working with local residents, schools and community groups, the project involved over 60 adult volunteers and almost 200 local school children.

We had a lovely time with Trees for Cities planting three Pride of India trees along the busy road, they all got stuck in and were proud of their efforts. We're looking forward to watching our trees grow!

Miss Nolan, Geography Teacher, Brentside High School

Southall Transition, working in partnership with the London Borough of Ealing, was awarded £5,000 to plant 56 trees as part of a community-led initiative to plant orchards and fruiting hedges in public spaces throughout Southall.

This phase of the project created a new community orchard in Jubilee Park, with over 150 volunteers helping to plant trees.

Find out more on the Southall Transition website.

It has been a pleasure to be involved in such a worthwhile project planting community orchards. There are multiple benefits - providing free nutritious food for anyone in need, getting children and young people interested in their local environment, and working together with like-minded folk on doing something beneficial for the local area.

Joyce Rundell, project volunteer

The London Borough of Enfield, working in partnership with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, was awarded £20,000 to plant 1,050 trees as part of the Prince of Wales Wetlands project, creating a new wetland in Enfield Lock.

The project extended existing woodland area and established a willow carr (wet woodland), helping to create wildlife habitat, reduce flood risk and help to improve water quality. The wetland has been designed and created with students from Prince of Wales Primary School, with 160 students helping to plant trees.

Find out more on the City Hall blog and the Groundwork website.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich was awarded £10,277 to plant 40 trees around the open spaces throughout Abbey Wood Estate.

The project has planted a range of species across the estate.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich, working in partnership with Avery Hill Friends Group, Greenwich Wildlife Advisory Group, Eltham Society, Greenwich Parks Forum, 40th Royal Eltham Scouts, Avery Hill Youth Club and Greenwich Park Run, was awarded £5,000 to plant 119 trees in Avery Hill Park.

The project planted an avenue of grey alder trees, helping to restore the park and create an arboretum feel. Over 50 volunteers helped to plant the trees, including over 30 children.

The new avenue of trees is already leading to a great many positive comments from park users, who enjoy seeing their park being made more attractive

Bee Twidale, Friends of Avery Hill Park

The Royal Borough of Greenwich was awarded £5,000 to plant 50 trees, creating a small community orchard and a wildflower meadow on open space in Glyndon Housing Estate.

The orchard will encourage the local community to become involved in volunteering and provide fresh fruit to support healthy living. Students from Foxfield Primary School helped with the planting and will be adopting the orchard to use as a teaching resource.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich was awarded £5,000 to plant 29 trees to complete the main park avenue in Hornfair Park.

The project will plant cherry trees and a mix of other species to ensure resilience to disease, replacing dead or dying trees.

Trees for Cities, working in partnership with the Friends of Sutcliffe Park and the Royal Borough of Greenwich, was awarded £10,190 to plant 2,058 trees in this well-used park.

The local community have helped to plan the project, which will support wildlife and reduce flood risk by planting a variety of trees and a mixed species native hedgerow to create an interactive tree and nature trail. Over 300 volunteers, including over 100 children took part in planting.

I particularly enjoyed the diversity of residents who attended the planting days which reflects the rich culturally diverse community at Sutcliffe Park. The planting days were also inclusive for people from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of abilities.

Anne Novis, Friends of Sutcliffe Park

The London Borough of Hackney, working in partnership with the Tree Musketeers and local park user groups, was awarded £47,194 to plant 229 trees in 22 parks across the borough.

Trees were planted in:

• Butterfield Green
• Church Street Garden
• Clapton Common
• Clapton Pond
• Clapton Square
• Clissold Park
• Daubeney Fields
• De Beauvoir Square
• Hackney Downs
• Haggerston Park
• Hoxton Square
• London Fields
• Mabley Green
• Millfields Park
• Shoreditch Park
• Springfield Park
• St Thomas’ Square
• St Thomas’ Recreation Ground
• St John’s Hackney Churchyard
• Stonebridge Gardens
• Ufton Gardens
• Well Street Common

The project included two community planting days with Hackney City Farm and the Tree Musketeers.

I’m retired, and I miss work, so volunteering is a good substitute for it. I enjoyed the tree planting. Gardening makes you feel relaxed.

Rodney, project volunteer

The Friends of Stamford Hill, working in partnership with Southern Housing and Groundwork London, were awarded £5,147 to plant 22 trees across the Stamford Hill Estate. 60 volunteers contributed to the project.

Read more on Hackney Citizen website.

The London Borough of Haringey was awarded £20,000 to plant 90 trees in eight parks across the borough to fill in gaps in canopy cover.

Trees were planted in:

• Brunswick Park
• Paignton Park
• Down Lane Park
• Hartington Park
• Stanley Culross Open Space
• Chapmans Green
• Russell Park
• Woodside Park

The London Borough of Harrow was awarded £40,194 to plant 224 trees across ten parks and green spaces throughout the borough to improve quality of life, environmental quality and access to nature for Harrow’s diverse communities.

50 volunteers were involved in the project which planted trees in:

• Alexandra Park
• Centenary Park
• Chandos Recreation Ground
• The Grove Open Space
• Kenton Recreation Ground
• Pinner Village Gardens
• Queensbury Recreation Ground
• Roxeth Recreation Ground
• Stanmore Marsh
• Whitefriars Open Space

Find out more on the Harrow Council website.

Thames Chase Trust, working in partnership with the Forestry Commission, London Borough of Havering and Thames Chase Conservation Volunteers, was awarded £10,000 to plant 330 trees to create a new 0.5-hectare community orchard at Cely Woods in the Thames Chase Community Forest.

The new orchard has provided a tranquil place to visit and enjoy nature. 36 volunteers from Thames Chase Conservation Volunteers planted the trees.

Trees for Cities, working in partnership with the London Borough of Hounslow, was awarded £15,000 to plant 42 fruit trees in Redlees Park and Thornbury Park, creating two new community orchards.

Through the project, the community at Redlees Park were inspired to create their first park user group, “Friends of Redlees Park” following the community planting day. Over 150 volunteers took part in the project including almost 70 children

The orchards will improve two public green spaces and create a valuable local food resource.

The London Borough of Lewisham, working in partnership with DeptfordFolk was awarded £10,000 to plant 27 trees and 8 shrubs to create a community orchard in Deptford Park.

Designed and planted collaboratively with local residents, community groups, businesses and schools, the orchard contains a variety of fruit trees. This is part of DeptfordFolk’s Evelyn 200 project, to plant 200 trees inspired by the legacy of John Evelyn.

Find out more on the DeptfordFolk website.

Friends of Mountsfield Park, working in partnership with Glendale Services and the London Borough of Lewisham, were awarded £5,110 to plant 39 trees to create a new avenue in the park.

The trees were during a series of community planting events with 25 volunteers.

Find out more on the Friends of Mountsfield Park website.

Trees for Cities, working in partnership with the London Borough of Redbridge, was awarded £15,000 to plant 61 trees, 950 shrubs and 1,000 bulbs to transform the park’s sunken garden.

The project was designed in consultation with the local community, and included two community planting days and workshops with local schools. 188 volunteers including 50 children helped plant the trees.

The project brought together local volunteers, families and faith groups and has improved civic pride in the neighbourhood

Wajid Ali, project volunteer

D’Eynsford TMO was awarded £5,883 to plant 25 fruit trees to create a community orchard across two sites on D’Eynsford Estate in Camberwell.

The orchard contains 25 fruit trees and 12 fruit bushes. Residents from all the estate’s communities took part in a series of workshops, with 44 volunteers helping to plant the trees.

“I think the most important thing is how its brought together the community. There were people who had never met each other working together to do something for our mutual benefit, and hopefully that will be the beginning of something that grows bigger”

Terry, project volunteer

The London Borough of Waltham Forest, working in partnership with Urbaser Ltd and Gristwood and Toms Ltd, was awarded £5,303 to plant 446 trees as part of the second phase of tree planting at Leyton Jubilee Park.

The planting will help sustain Green Flag status for the borough’s largest park.

The Faiths Forum for London was awarded £19,940 to plant 34 trees with different faith groups across 11 London boroughs.

The project worked with different places of worship to hold special planting events, attended by over 150 people. Trees were planted at:

• Valence Park, Barking and Dagenham
• Middlesex University, Barnet
• Barham Park, Brent
• Almannar Mosque, Kensington and Chelsea
• Arnos Park, Enfield
• Crescent Gardens, Haringey
• Hanworth Park, Hounslow
• Caledonian Park, Islington
• Kingston Road Recreation Ground, Kingston-upon-Thames
• Simon Marks School, Hackney
• Rush Common, Lambeth

Find out more on the London Faiths Forum website.

It was such a pleasure to take part in the tree planting event at Valence Park. It was a cold day but our hearts were warmed by the initiative and planting of an oak tree with our neighbours and friends of the faith groups in the Dagenham and Barking area.

Jeff Potter, Bethel Christian Centre

PADI was awarded £12,000 to plant 350 trees in ten schools across seven London boroughs. This included:

• 30 hornbeam trees at Harris Academy Beckenham, Bromley
• 50 fruit trees at Harris Girls Academy, Bromley
• 30 fruit trees at Southborough School, Bromley
• 30 fruit trees at Harold Wood Primary School, Havering
• 60 fruit trees at Drapers' Brookside Junior School, Havering
• 30 fruit trees at Alexandra School, Kingston-upon-Thames
• 30 fruit trees at Gallions Primary School, Newham
• 30 fruit trees at Alexandra Junior School, Bromley
• 30 trees at Aragon Primary School, Merton
• 30 field maple trees at Brookfield Primary Academy, Sutton