Tens of thousands of pounds awarded to woodland loving communities in the North of England
A scout pack, community farm and urban woodland in the heart of Leeds are just some examples of the 11 groups across the North of England who will benefit from grants totalling £72,000 from the Woodland Trust.
The groups, which all own or manage woods in the region, will use the funding in a variety of ways such as planting more trees, improving access, recruiting new volunteers or working with local schools.
The Trust, as part of a £1.25m partnership with Nationwide Building Society, is providing funding for communities to either establish new groups or help existing groups undertake greater care and maintenance of their local woods. Nearly £150,000 has been provided to applicants at almost 30 locations since the scheme launched last spring.
One group to benefit this time around is the Gibside Community Farm near Gateshead, established in 2013 as a member co-operative 'Community Interest Company' (CIC). The community farm will receive a £9,975 grant from the Woodland Trust to support the creation of a volunteer centre on its new 15 acre site and provide training for its volunteers to plant and manage woods and run series of public events. The charity is also providing the group with trees for a new Agroforestry plot being created on site.
Michael Marston from Gibside Community Farm said: “The grant will enable us to build better facilities for the volunteers, along with creating an agroforestry scheme on 15 acres of land nearby the farm, 2.5 acres of which will see trees planted. We’ve recently been granted a 25 year tenancy on site and so we see this as long term project which will benefit many in the local area.”
The National Trust at Gibside has granted a 25 year farm business tenancy on a new piece of land which members of the CIC will be transforming into Agroforestry woodland, integrating woodland into fruit and vegetable growing. This is in addition to the established walled garden plots which the farm has been managing for several years.
Rachael Cranch, Woodland Trust community woodland project manager said: “We want to see all our precious native woodland cared for, but we can’t do it alone. By enabling and supporting passionate communities they will play a huge part in being custodians of the countryside for years to come.”
Lynn Forrester, Sustainability Manager at Nationwide, added: “Doing what is right by our members, and the communities in which they live is at the heart of what it means to be a building society. By providing community groups with the financial and practical support they need, we are empowering people to develop, protect and enhance local woods that will provide a lasting benefit for generations to come.”
To find out more about caring for local woods, contact the Woodland Trust at communitywoodland@woodlandtrust.org.uk or visit communitywoodland.org.
