Philpot's Farm, London

Continuing our partnership with the London Borough of Hillingdon, we kicked off National Tree Week by delivering an urban woodland at Philpot’s Farm Open Space.

Philpot’s Farm is a large open space that supports a variety of habitats for critters and creatures with the River Pinn running along its west side. This includes open areas of grass which are managed for hay, as well as smaller areas of woodland and scrubland. Despite this, the park sits in a location of low tree canopy cover and doesn't meet the London average of 21% coverage. So, that's where we stepped in!

Thanks to the help of hundreds of local volunteers, we planted over 7,000 whip trees and 18 heavy standard trees on Saturday 26th November, the first day of National Tree Week. We also welcomed participants of our Youth Programme down for the day as part of their training in learning how to plant and care for urban trees and woodlands.

Our Philpot's Farm project is funded by the Trees Call to Action Fund. The fund was developed by Defra in partnership with the Forestry Commission and is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Huge thanks!

Wyke Community Sports Village, Bradford

We also kicked off National Tree Week by planting over 7,000 trees at Wyke Community Sporting Village in Bradford. This planting was part of the Tree for Every Child project with Bradford Metropolitan District Council. That’s 55,000 new trees planted across the city in primary school grounds and the creation of two new children's woodlands within easy reach of schools and urban communities.

Over 65 volunteers helped plant a mix of rowan, oak, hazel, buckthorn, goat willow and field maple trees across the area on the day. Eventually 16,000 trees will be planted in total across the site - that's a lot of urban trees! These trees will provide woodland walkways for walkers, help with drainage in boggy areas, provide more habitat for local wildlife and shelter from the elements for sporting events. All in all, a healthier and greener environment for everyone to enjoy.

Greening Coastal Towns and Cities

As part of a £1.2M funding initiative through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, we continued the planting of trees across seven coastal towns and cities. This project will see us plant in total 55,000 trees in 2 years across selected seaside towns.

We planted 1,500 young whip trees in Bexhill and a further 500 trees with The Queen's Green Canopy across Stockton-on-Tees. We excitingly also hosted our first in-person planting/maintenance training event in Stockton-on-Tees. Local residents joined us to learn how to plant urban trees and the importance of maintenance and aftercare.

Racecourse Estate, London

Since January 2018, we have worked in partnership with Ealing Council and local residents to improve the green spaces on Racecourse Estate. Planting alongside the local community, our work has helped create lasting change in the neighbourhood – revitalising green spaces, creating a healthier environment and getting people excited about growing, foraging and eating healthy food.

We are also entering the final year of planting at Racecourse Estate in Ealing, a project we have been working hard on for the last 4 years, and we continued to deliver tree planting and greening activities throughout National Tree Week and into December to add the final green touches to the Estate.

This is a pioneering project that aims to bring together a range of our activities, including urban forestry and edible playgrounds. Around the estate, we have planted: 209 large trees, hedgerows, and 5,000 spring flowers.

The Big Give

Our 'Urban Trees for All, By All' Big Give campaign launched on Giving Tuesday and ran between the 29th of November to the 6th December.

The appeal focused on how urban areas and their communities have an enormous role to play to prevent catastrophic and irreversible damage to nature and the climate.

Our campaign had a fundraising target of £40,000, which would be matched by trusts and foundations, including The Reed Foundation. We had an overwhelming response to the campaign and were able to raise £78,232!

When we took part in the Big Give Christmas Appeal for the first time in 2020 we raised £7,907, followed by £48,024 in 2021. So it's fantastic that we were able to hit a new target this year! It's thanks to people like our incredible donors that we are able to continue planting trees across the UK and internationally. A huge thank you to everyone who donated.

Trees for Cities is incredibly proud to work alongside such dedicated and inspiring individuals and communities who take local action to plant and protect urban trees. Every day action matters and the impact from our work during not only National Tree Week but throughout the year will allow both today and tomorrow's generation an opportunity to live amongst urban trees and nature.

Although National Tree Week has come to an end, we will still be here to plant more trees and ensure as many towns and cities as possible can enjoy the many benefits of urban greenery :-)

Our work is made possible thanks to our partnerships with local councils, funders, the support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery and of course, our dedicated volunteers.