Joining in at Junction Road planting
Volunteers helped plant 600 trees today (22 Feb) as part of a Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games legacy project.
The Tiny Forest at Junction Road, Stourbridge, is one of five to be planted across the borough and one of 72 to be planted across the West Midlands in partnership with Severn Trent and Earthwatch Europe to mark Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
2,400 trees will be planted across the four borough sites, with one successful planting already having taken place yesterday (21 Feb) at Quarry Park, Gornal.
Volunteers from the local community are being encouraged to join forces with Severn Trent and Dudley Council to plant four Tiny Forests across Dudley and Stourbridge in celebration of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. There are still two more sessions planned for this week, at Netherton Park on Thursday 24 February and Bank Street in Brierley Hill on Friday 25.
Places can be booked on Eventbrite for Netherton Park and Bank Street planting sessions.
As Birmingham 2022’s Official Nature & Carbon Neutral Supporter, Severn Trent, supported by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, is creating 72 tennis-court-sized Tiny Forests to boost access to green space in urban areas and increase regional resilience against environmental issues, such as flooding, heat stress and nature loss.
Severn Trent’s Forest delivery manager, Ricky Dallow, said:
It’ll be fantastic to be in Dudley and Stourbridge and play a role in 2,400 trees being planted across four sites.
The sense of achievement as we work our way across the region planting these Tiny Forests is incredible and we’d encourage any locals who’d like to come to one of the sites and help plant a few trees to sign up.
As a company that takes care of one of life’s essentials, we’re committed to making a positive impact on the communities and the environment where we live and work and these small, but mighty, Tiny Forests are set to become a real asset to the region, as well as playing a key role in the legacy of the Games.
Dudley Council’s cabinet member for public realm, Karen Shakespeare, said:
I really enjoyed meeting all the volunteers and seeing just how much can be achieved when people come together.
As an authority we’re committed to boosting the borough’s canopy coverage, so to be involved with additional projects like Tiny Forests is just brilliant.
There are still opportunities to join us for the final two sessions. We hope to have our fifth planting organised for March and we’d love to see people there too.
Environmental charity, Earthwatch Europe, will be supporting Severn Trent in the delivery of the Tiny Forests, which will see 600 native trees planted densely in each tennis court sized plot of land, helping to maximise the biodiversity benefits per square metre of land.
The Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022, will also benefit from the project, with the trees planted all contributing to the Queen’s Green Canopy map.
Further information on volunteering for upcoming planting days in Dudley and Stourbridge can be found here.
Contact Information
Dudley Council
Notes to editors
About Severn Trent
Severn Trent is one of Britain’s largest water companies, serving 4.5 million homes and business customers in and around the Midlands. Its region stretches from the Welsh borders to Rutland and from the outskirts of Sheffield south to the Bristol Channel and east to the Humber. The company delivers almost two billion litres of fresh, clean drinking water every day through 46,000km of pipes. And when its finished with, it is taken away again to be cleaned and treated before being returned safely to the environment.
Severn Trent’s partnership with the Commonwealth Games will help to accelerate its ambitious plans as it plays a part in creating new green urban spaces, further enhancing biodiversity, promoting plastic-free thinking and ultimately delivering a carbon neutral legacy for generations to come.
Find out more at www.wonderfulontap.co.uk
About Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held from 28 July until 8 August 2022, will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to put the city, the region and its people on the global stage.
The Games is already proving to be a catalyst for transformation across the West Midlands, attracting new investment and funding, creating jobs and apprenticeships for local people and new opportunities for local businesses, as well as accelerating projects that will ensure the region is ready to host a fantastic sports and cultural celebration.
Birmingham 2022 will be the Games for everyone, bringing people together from across Birmingham and the region, to provide a warm welcome to millions of visitors during the summer of 2022.
Find out more at www.birmingham2022.com
About Earthwatch Europe
Earthwatch is an environmental charity with science at its heart. We connect people with the natural world, monitor the health of our natural resources, and help people take action to have a positive impact.
We work together with scientists, businesses, civil society and policy-makers to drive the change we need to live within our means and in balance with nature.
Our work focuses on many environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater pollution, sustainable agriculture and life in cities.
About The Queen’s Green Canopy
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee.”
Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees from October, when the tree planting season begins, through to the end of the Jubilee year in 2022.
With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage planting of trees to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the Nation, which will benefit future generations.
As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen’s Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom and identify 70 Ancient Trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.
Find out more at www.queensgreencanopy.org