‘Tree-rific’ – scheme to plant 7,000 new trees hits halfway point!

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s bid to plant 7,000 new trees in the borough has hit the halfway point.

Thanks to the support of residents and volunteer groups – many braving wet and cold weather – more than 3,500 new trees have already been planted.

Now, five new planting sessions have been announced with an appeal for residents to pitch in to help reach the full 7,000 before the end of March.

Councillor Zainab Rawat, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Assistant Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:

It’s absolutely brilliant that we’re already halfway to our target of planting 7,000 new trees – we are so grateful for our volunteers’ time and efforts so far.

Community tree planting is a fantastic way of helping us to address climate change and we are thrilled with the support we’ve received from residents, schools and community groups across Blackburn with Darwen.

Families are welcome to attend, and we are delighted to have support from One Voice whose members will be attending the third planting session on Sunday, March 20th.

The sessions are being led by staff from the Council’s Environment Team and Adult Learning Services in partnership with the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Treescape and the Ribble Rivers Trust.

Councillor Rawat added:

The Council’s Environment and Adult Learning Teams have been working incredibly hard to organise and deliver native woodland tree planting across the borough.

One of our main priorities is to increase tree cover, protect soils and enhance our natural habit, enabling the natural storage of carbon.

We are so lucky to have open green spaces within our borough and it is wonderful to know that our efforts now will benefit future generations of Blackburn with Darwen residents.

The next five sessions have been arranged for:

Date	Time	Location	Meet
Tuesday 15th March	10am	North Road	North Road, Blackburn BB1 1AE
Wednesday 16th March	10am	River Darwen Parkway	Millbrook Street, Lower Darwen BB3 0PZ
Sunday 20th March	10am	Pleckgate, Opposite High School	Swallowfields, Blackburn Bb1 8NR
TBC	TBC	Opposite Priory Drive, Darwen BB3 3PT	TBC
TBC	TBC	Sough Road or Shorey Bank, Darwen BB3 2PN	TBC

 

There’s no need to register – please just turn up on the day for all five events.

Volunteers should wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear such as wellies or boots as it may be muddy.

All of the equipment you need will be available at the sessions, but if you have a spade and gloves, please do bring them along.

Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.