1500 local school children join Redbridge Council’s tree planting project
Published: 13 February 2022
School children across Redbridge have helped plant more than 80 new trees in the borough as part of Redbridge Council’s Schools Tree Planting initiative.
The three-month project involved nine Redbridge schools and 1514 local school children planting 88 trees across school sites in the borough. In addition, 456 hedging plants were also planted at three of the nine local schools.
The council initiative is part of efforts to increase tree coverage in the borough and gave school children hands-on experience in planting and caring for trees, while learning about the importance of trees and greenery in helping tackle climate change.
Throughout the project special planting events were held at the schools, enabling children and school staff, supported by the council’s Neighbourhood Street Scene Team, to plant varieties of tree species and hedging plants - helping boost the borough’s green canopy cover.
The nine schools that took part were:
- Barley Lane Primary School
- Coppice Primary School
- Cranbrook Primary School
- Ilford County High School
- Newbury Park Primary School
- Parkhill Infants School
- Parkhill Junior School
- William Torbitt Primary School
- Woodbridge High School
Head of Coppice Primary School, Michael Fernandez, said: “It has been an amazing experience for our entire school as children from nursery all the way through to year 6 have had the chance to be part of planting our new orchard. We feel very fortunate that our existing nature garden has now been extended to include apple, pear and plum trees.”
During the planting sessions pupils learnt about the important environmental and health benefits trees bring, including helping clean up the air we breathe, provide shade and create natural habitats for wildlife.
Woodbridge High School pupil, Elif said: “I learnt how important trees are to the earth and humans. I had a fun, eventful and educational day and I am proud to know that the tree we planted will be there for many years.”
Fellow Woodbridge pupil, Iva, added: “I loved planting the trees. The best thing was learning more about the importance of trees in tackling the climate crisis”
And it wasn’t just the school children who got involved. Among those lending a hand at Coppice Primary School’s planting session was the Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, The Deputy Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, and the Mayor of Redbridge, Cllr Roy Emmett.
Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: “It is wonderful to see Redbridge school children so enthusiastic about our local environment, and enjoying learning about the role that trees and plants play in keeping our air clean, and supporting local wildlife. Joining the children planting at Coppice Primary was fantastic, it was clear how passionate they were about tackling climate change and keeping Redbridge green.”
Deputy Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, added: “The role of the natural environment in tackling climate change is incredibly important. Our Schools Tree Planting initiative is an extension of our on-going work with local communities to tackle the climate emergency, improve air quality and create a greener, and more biodiverse borough to live, work and socialise in. It’s also important to educate our children and young people about climate change to empower them to play an active part in shaping a greener future, and our School Tree Planting initiative is great example of this in action.”
The Schools Tree Planting initiative was financed through the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy fund.
Every tree planted through the project was also registered under the Queen’s Green Canopy project, which is inviting everyone across the UK to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 by planting a tree. Find out more: www.queensgreencanopy.org/get-involved/individuals/
Redbridge council maintains 128 hectares of woodland in Redbridge, in addition to 40,000 trees on council sites across the borough.
Redbridge was also one of only 120 locations across the world to have been awarded ‘Tree Cities of the World’ status. The coveted designation from The Arbor Day Foundation, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is awarded to cities showing their commitment to trees and urban forestry.
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