Tree Planting Project

in association with Wildside Activity Centre

Thanks to the generous partnership funding provided by Digital Disability we were able to plant over 1000 trees and work with nearly 200 people in Wolverhampton and surrounding areas.

During January, February and March 2020 we worked with 9 different organisations and helped them plant trees in Smestow Valley Nature Reserve and at their sites too.

Coleman Street Supported Housing Scheme, High Flyers (from S. Staffs) and a lifeskills group from Newhampton Arts Centre all worked with us and our volunteers to plant trees near to Wildside.

We went out to care homes in Codsall, Wednesfield and Pensnett to work with residents, support staff and friends to plant trees in their grounds.

We also worked with the learning support sections of two senior schools and helped their students to plant trees in their school grounds and we visited a charity that provides holiday activities for disabled children and worked with some of the children to plant trees.

Two of the organisations kindly provided the following feedback on the project -

(1)   - The tree planting activity was a fantastic opportunity for the Life Skills students to engage with their local environment and learn about the different trees and how and where to plant them. They enjoyed the hands on activity of digging the soil, selecting their trees and then planting them under the guidance of professionals who shared their subject knowledge in a very accessible way suitable to the needs of the students. It gave them a great opportunity to communicate with new people, follow instructions and build on their team work skills. There were physical benefits to working outdoors as well as the confidence and pride expressed by members of the group knowing they had made a positive impact on their local environment and could show this to friends and family members in the future.

(2)   - The year 8 pupils at Moreton enormously benefited from being able to participate in the tree planting project with Wildside on their school grounds. They had been learning about climate change in their geography lessons and understood the vital role trees play in regulating our climate and the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, as well as their ability to provide habitats for animals. They greatly appreciated the opportunity to explore their school grounds, learn about the different trees they were planting and do an activity in which they knew they were having a positive impact on the environment. Being proactive on issues related to the environment was good for the pupil's wellbeing, they all came away from the day excited with big smiles on their faces and happily shared their experience with their friends. It empowered them by showing them they were capable of making a positive difference and it also increased pupil engagement in lessons as they had applied what they had learnt to a real world context.

West Midlands Combined Authority Virtual Forest