Redbridge’s ‘Adopt a Tree Pit’ is back and you can get your whole street involved – Applications now open!

Redbridge’s much loved ‘Adopt a Tree Pit’ is back, and communities can even team up to ‘adopt’ a whole street of tree pits to make their neighbourhood a Pollinator Pathway for bees, birds, and other wildlife.

Applications for Adopt a Tree Pit are now open, alongside year-round applications to become a Pollinator Pathway. Both green schemes are part of Redbridge Council’s community gardening initiative giving local people the chance to show trees on their street some love, and boost biodiversity in Redbridge.

Tree pits are the soil area at the base of trees, which are perfect for planting. Through the Council’s Adopt a Tree Pit scheme you can apply to adopt your very own individual tree pit, or you can team up with your neighbours to apply under the Pollinator Pathway Scheme to adopt all the tree pits on your street, along with any other nearby plant growth areas, to become a Pollinator Pathway road.

A Pollinator Pathway is a corridor of pesticide free plants that connect different areas of habitat, encouraging pollinators such as bees to travel between them to access the food and shelter that they need.

By adopting a tree pit, or a whole street of tree pits, and planting wildflower seeds, communities can create their very own mini garden on their doorstep to help local wildlife thrive.

The boroughwide initiative is a fun and interactive way to bring neighbours together to make streets more attractive and colourful, as well as help take care of and have pride in their neighbourhood.

Applications to ‘Adopt a Tree Pit’ – a tree pit adopted by an individual - must be made by midnight Sunday 5 January 2025. For more details or to apply visit: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/our-streets/adopt-a-tree-pit-and-pollinator-pathways/

If you applied to adopt a tree pit last year you will have to re-apply again this year as all adoptions last for 12 months only.

Jan Parish, from Barkingside, has adopted a tree pit for the last three years and said: “I’ve enjoyed watching the wildflower seeds grow and flower and then the wildlife arriving. It's great for the community as no cost is involved and even those without a garden or much gardening experience can take part. Planting the tree pit put a smile on my face and others in the street, who stopped to chat about it."

Applications to become a ‘Pollinator Pathway’ are open all year round, enabling local people to team up with their neighbours throughout the year. For more information or to apply go to: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/our-streets/adopt-a-tree-pit-and-pollinator-pathways/

Streets that become Pollinator Pathways will be removed from the Redbridge Council’s chemical weed control spraying schedule to help create a pesticide-free corridor of pollinator friendly plants. Local people taking part in the scheme will be required to manually control plant growth on their street. Redbridge Council’s Neighbourhood Team will support with advice and information on acceptable levels of plant growth and pesticide free weed removal.

Karen Myers, from Wanstead, who teamed up with her neighbours to become a Pollinator Pathway road said: “Being part of the scheme has really brought our road together, and we often get lovely comments from people walking down it. It’s also a little haven for wildlife and make it a nice place for us to live. My neighbours and I will continue to enjoy being a Pollinator Pathway road this year and we hope many other roads will join the scheme to help rid streets of pesticide and give nature a helping hand.”

Last year successful applicants adopted over 650 tree pits across the borough through Adopt a Tree Pit, and thanks to the Pollinator Pathway scheme there are also currently 11 Pollinator Pathways streets in the borough – both initiatives boosting local biodiversity and helping Redbridge’s streets bloom. 

Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, said: “It’s great to see so much enthusiasm for our Pollinator Pathway and Adopt a Tree Pit schemes. These schemes are making a positive impact on the environment as well as building links between neighbours and I encourage all those who can to sign up. Adopting a tree pit is also a great way to make a positive impact on your street, and allows you to be creative in maintaining civic pride and beauty in our borough.”

Local people can also get involved in looking after newly planted trees on their street by unofficially adopting them. New trees are planted in the borough between November and March, with a blue label attached asking for help with watering in the summer months when they may need an extra drink. For more information go to: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/our-streets/adopt-and-water-a-tree/

‘Adopt a Tree Pit’ and ‘Pollinator Pathways’ is part of the council’s boroughwide campaign for a greener Redbridge, and one of a number of projects led by the borough’s Our Streets Strategy, which focuses on social action and working with local communities to keep Redbridge’s street scene green, clean, safe and attractive.  For more information about the borough’s work under ‘Our Streets’ visit: www.redbridge.gov.uk/our-streets/

(END)