School children help plant trees on Grange Park

As part of a project to improve the green space in Grange Park, school children from Christ the King Catholic Academy helped to plant a selection of native trees in Gateside Park.

The trees such as pear, apple, cherry and rowan will provide food and habitat for wildlife and also offer an opportunity for local people to forage for fruit when the trees mature.

The children joined Keep Britain Tidy’s project manager Emma Whitlock, who is leading on the improvement project with funding from high street retailer Wilko.

Emma said: “It was great to have local children come and help plant trees and get involved with the project.

“These trees will be a legacy for the children to enjoy as they grow up and we hope the whole community will take care of them.”

The event was attended by 30 local people, including 12 children from Christ the King Catholic Academy who were accompanied by their parents; all wanting to help improve the area where they live.

Headteacher Sarah Smith said: “Those children that attended the event enjoyed a thoroughly enjoyable few hours out in the sunshine and fresh air and have contributed in a truly special way to the future of the park.

“Some children planted over 15 saplings and they all returned to school with muddy boots, rosy faces and tired limbs!”

Wilko is supporting Keep Britain Tidy in delivering this green space project with the proceeds of its carrier bag charge.

Holly French, community engagement officer for Wilko, praised the volunteers.

She said: “I’d like to thank all the local volunteers who got involved at Grange Park – they did a fantastic job planting all the trees especially with the wet and muddy conditions.

“It’s exciting to see the park taking shape and we hope everyone will enjoy this community space in the future and re-visit to see how much their trees have grown.”

The green space improvement project will see new seating, planting, artwork and points of interest created in Gateside Park.

Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity that cares for the environment on the doorstep of communities.

The charity works to eliminate littering, reduce waste and improve public space.

It runs programmes including Eco-Schools, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces and the Blue Flag/Seaside Awards for beaches.

For more information about how to get involved, join the Facebook group: Grange Park Green Space Project.