Over 1200  trees were planted this past weekend when  the Wilderness Foundation UK and Strutt & Parker Farms hosted the first of many community tree planting days to celebrate the creation of Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Wood on their site in Chatham Green.
Around 80 people attended with visitors coming from as far as London and Cambridge, and with a mix of ages and abilities. The youngest tree planter (Rowan Barker) was two and managed to plant quite a few trees, relative to his size!  Visitors commented on how therapeutic the day was and how they were so pleased to be leaving a legacy for their children to enjoy.
The tree planting is part of a new 12,000 tree woodland to the north of Chatham Green to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Due to the size of the woodland, we have been granted ‘Diamond Status’ by the Woodland Trust and are one of sixty new ‘Diamond’ woods in the country. The free tree planting sessions will continue for another four months with several more community days. Schools, colleges, community groups and businesses can also book a free tree planting session up until March 2013.
The woodland forms part of the  ‘Chatham Green Project’; a conservation and education project focusing on balancing the 21st century needs of farming, nature and communities which opens in March  next year. This education programme will host  a living classroom of science and sustainability options which is open to schools and will form a valuable part of the national curriculum.
Our next community tree planting event will be held on the 24th November from 9am to 12noon. For further details please visit:
www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk/chatham-green-project