Thousands of trees are set to be planted in some of the most deprived areas of Nottingham, thanks to a partnership between Green Hustle and Trees for Cities.
More than 5,000 trees will be planted in Aspley and Top Valley by Green Hustle with support from Nottingham City Council, thanks to funding from Trees for Cities, the charity working across the UK to improve lives by creating greener cities.
All trees will be a wide mix of British native species to offer as much human and natural benefit as possible. They will be complemented with additional planting, such as fruit trees and wildflowers, to boost access to fresh food and biodiversity.
Tree canopy cover in Nottingham is estimated at 13.7 per cent, which is below the minimum level of 20 per cent for urban areas in the UK as recommended by Forest Research.
Now, Green Hustle, the Nottingham community interest company, is calling for dozens of volunteers to take part in the planting, which will take place each weekend in February 2025. The sessions will be held at King George V Playing Fields in Aspley.
The project aims to create volunteering opportunities for long-term engagement with nature, improve air quality, enhance flood resilience, reduce heat in the city during heatwaves, and create more places for people to stay cool.
It’s all part of Green Hustle’s ‘Ten Thousand Trees’ initiative, which began in 2019 with the ambition of reaching the milestone of 10,000 trees planted in the city. The initiative aims to connect people with local nature, especially young people, children, and families living in built-up urban areas.
Following tree planting projects at Woodthorpe Park, Radford Bridge Road, Bulwell Hall Park, and Amesbury Circus, this final session will see the goal achieved with an additional 4,000 trees planted at King George V Playing Fields in Aspley and 1,000 trees planted at Southglade Park in Top Valley.
Local residents will be invited to form a new ‘Friends’ group to help nurture the new community woodland at King George V Playing Fields. The woodland will include wide walkways, an expanded orchard, and a glade area. Local charity Nottingham Open Spaces Forum, which connects these groups of volunteers, will support this work.
The project team hopes this will inspire greater use of the large, underused green space and make it safer and more inviting for residents. Planting will take place in areas unsuitable for sports pitches.
Adam Pickering, Co-Director at Green Hustle, said:
“These new community woodlands will not only bring benefits like cleaner, cooler air and more wildlife – they’ll have health and social benefits well into the future.
“When we get out, active, and take positive actions together with other people, we feel good. Projects like this show that when we get together, we can all have an impact on the world around us.
“We particularly want to get local residents involved in the planting and helping to nurture the space over the coming years. This will make the parks cleaner, safer, and better loved.
“We’re setting a whole day aside for local schools to get involved in planting the trees. It’s young people who will live to see the most benefit from them.”
Roddy Shaw, Senior Development Manager at Trees for Cities, said:
“We are proud to support the Ten Thousand Trees project, which is not just planting trees but enhancing community spaces, climate resilience, and spaces for wildlife.
“Through this partnership with Green Hustle, we’re improving Nottingham’s urban greenspaces, fostering community engagement, and helping to build long-term connections with nature.”
Cllr Sam Lux, Executive Member for Carbon Reduction, Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said:
“Nottingham City Council is absolutely delighted to support Green Hustle to plant a further 5,000 trees this season, taking them to 10,000 in total, which very much aligns with the city’s ambitious climate and nature agenda.
“This project, in fact, takes us beyond our 50,000 tree-planting target, which is no mean feat. Like us, Green Hustle sees beyond emissions and air quality statistics, as important as they are; they understand the potential power of trees to make people’s everyday lives better, especially in communities with less access to green space.
“None of it could happen without our inspiring volunteers. I really encourage residents to become a part of this transformative change by joining Green Hustle’s wonderful community of planters.
“I’d like to thank Green Hustle and Trees for Cities for their tireless work to green Nottingham, and I look forward to working with them closely in future.”
Volunteer planting days will take place throughout February. Sign up to get involved via this form: https://forms.gle/NymCbUXTNLUcZSZF6
