Warden Park Secondary Academy are looking to raise £7,000 to assist with plans to plant and maintain over 57 native English trees, alongside 500 saplings and a student-designed garden and outdoor learning area - a place where students can reconnect with nature whilst contributing to improve the environment.
Tree Action is a community interest company planning to work with five schools in the next two years. They are currently working in partnership with Warden Park Secondary Academy to help them plan and fundraise for the development of an orchard, woodland, gardens, and outdoor learning space. The students on the school grounds are involved, and will be responsible for building, designing, developing, and maintaining the site.
Tree Action was started to assist schools to start their own tree planting and biodiversity projects that students could take part in, so that students and the school can play a part in tackling climate change whilst giving young people the opportunity to connect with what’s proving to be increasingly more important that smartphones – nature.
Last year, Ben Woods – English teacher and House Co-ordinator – started a school Eco-Committee with the idea of raising awareness of the global climate crisis and how the school could help. Attached to the school is a large plot of land which had once been a thriving allotment area. Seeing the potential for use, Ben undertook the challenge to re-establish the importance of an outside learning space and set up links to the local community. Ben heard about the first Tree Action project at Shoreham Academy and contacted Ricky Purnell, the organiser, and also local community member Pauline Sutherland and a plan finally started to come together.
Tree Action brought an arborist to identify the potential for trees in the grounds. Space was identified for planting over 1,000 saplings, plus 57 standard 2-4 year old trees, including more fruit trees, 12 beeches and limes, and around 21 other standard trees.
Ben Woods commented: “We have a wonderful opportunity with so much space to be able to fill up with trees. It gives us an opportunity to engage the students and staff with the environment around them. We’re looking to raise money so we can introduce more trees onto the site, especially fruit trees.“
Ricky Purnell, Director and Event Co-ordinator of Tree Action UK said: “We believe the Warden Park Academy project is a great project that will greatly benefit the students for years to come. This project is a beacon for other schools who have not yet realised the potential for planting trees on site, schools who would like to but just do not feel they have the time and resources to achieve them.”
The £7,000 they are hoping to raise through crowdfunder.co.uk will enable the school to fund this project, and if they raise more, it would add further to the development of the school’s outdoor learning area. Tree Action and Warden Park Academy are offering some great rewards for their tree planting project including ‘Sponsor a Tree’ which will include a certificate of dedication designed by students, photo of your tree and a map showing its location. There’s also ‘tea and cake’ and a tour of the tree planting sites on offer for £20.
For more details go to their crowdfunding page: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/tree-action-uk