Thursday 24 February 2011
Thousands of trees planted in city forest
Fran Dunmore (left) and Lucy Look help project officer Sophie Antonelli (rear) with the planting of the city forest. Picture: Paul Franks/Peterborough ET By BEN TRUSLOVE. Published on Wed Feb 23 17:04:22 GMT 2011
A TREE-mendous scheme to turn Peterborough into a leafy city has been given a boost. Volunteers, office staff and offenders on probation dug in to help Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) plant another 1,700 saplings for the Forest for Peterborough project yesterday (22 February). They added to the 5,000 trees already planted as part of the project and it is hoped to plant a total of 170,000 trees – one for every resident of the city.
On an overcast and damp day Sophie Antonelli, the project manager, led the team planting in Thorpe Meadows. She said: “This is our last planting for now. It is the end of the season so we will have a little break to do a bit of pruning to keep the trees healthy. “We’ve had a really good start to the project. On the first day we had about 30 people turn up to volunteer to plant trees and we ran out of trees by lunch. “The support from the city has been fantastic, everyone has been really enthusiastic about the project.”
The project was given a helping hand from staff at News International which has a base in Hampton. Debbie Ford, from the firm, said: “We’re delighted to be contributing towards the ambitious plans to create a new forest in Peterborough. “We believe strongly in enhancing the local environment and this project is great because our staff can make a real difference in a really hands on way.”
And several other city-based firms have pledged their support for the Forest for Peterborough scheme. Anne Corder Recruitment, based in Park Road, has promised to plant a tree for every candidate it finds a job for over the next year.
Property management support company PEMCO, based in Market Deeping, has committed to donate to the fund for each property that comes onto its books.
Nyree Ambarchian, from PECT, said: “We’ve had lots of support so far from businesses, it’s proving really popular. Finding places to plant the trees is not the most straightforward process.”
The aim of the project is to increase the range of habitats in the city with tree-planting as well as introducing more grassland and hedges. Residents can sponsor a tree for £15. For more information visit www.pect.org.uk/forest or call 01733 568408.
