The Chairman of Wychavon joined local school children in Upton Snodsbury to help plant part of the district’s newest woodland.
Worcestershire County Council, with support from community volunteers, has spent the winter planting 6,000 trees on an 11-hectare site off the A422. Once completed 16,000 trees will be planted along with a community orchard.
The County Council plans to plant 150,000 trees across Worcestershire by 2027, including another new woodland in Wychavon in Dodderhill parish near Droitwich Spa.
Wychavon Chairman Cllr Robert Raphael and local district councillor Linda Robinson joined children from Upton Snodsbury C of E First School at one of the planting sessions. The visit was part of the Chairman’s anniversary tour of the district to mark 50 years of Wychavon.
The Chairman also took a tour of nearby Stoulton woodland – also known as Millennium Wood – to check on its progress after it was created by Wychavon in 2001 to mark the new millennium.
More than 23,000 trees were planted on the 11-hectare site which today is developing into a thriving biodiversity habitat. Another three hectares were planted in neighbouring Jubilee Wood in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
Cllr Robert Raphael, Chairman of Wychavon District Council, said: “It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm of the pupils taking part in the tree planting in Upton Snodsbury and to know they will be able to go back in years to come and see how the trees they planted have grown.”
Councillor Emma Stokes, Cabinet Member for the Environment, at Worcestershire County Council said: “We’ve made great progress as we’ve begun tree planting at our Upton Snodsbury site and I look forward to this continuing. Our tree planting sites have been designed to have the community at their hearts so it’s really pleasing to hear of our local school children getting involved right at the start of the project.”
