The partnership has support from Congleton Town Council and Cheshire East Council as it embarks on an ambitious plan to plant a tree for every person in Congleton over the next five years as part of its Trees for Congleton project. This will see over 30,000 trees being planted in the town and surrounding areas.
The partnership has hit the ground running, gaining funding and permission to plant 650 trees in greenspaces within the town. These sites were selected following consultation with the public at the inaugural Green Fayre back in October.
Adam Linnet, the Wild Communities Officer for Cheshire Wildlife Trust said “This looks to be a brilliant project that will help local people reconnect with wildlife right on their doorstep. Taking action, taking ownership and being invested in your local greenspace is a wonderful thing and it’s great to be able to be able to offer that to everyone in Congleton.”
Matt Axford, a member of the Congleton Sustainability Group added “Whilst Trees for Congleton will make Congleton a better place for residents and wildlife alike, it is also a very positive step in mitigating climate change through capturing carbon. Congleton Sustainability Group is here to help people continue beyond that first step and to provide help and advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible.”
The partnership has been successful in finding funding from the William Dean Trust and from the Congleton Partnership. This money will be spent to plant in three areas in Congleton: The Quinta Play Area, Marshal Grove Play Area and Padgbury Lane (opposite the fuel station). The funding will also pay for two community orchards on Lambert’s Lane and Lady Warburton’s Walk, as well as a hedgerow along the Clayton bypass. A local landscape architect has drawn up spatial plans that maintain aspects of the site that are great for residents and visitors, whilst also making space for trees. The partnership has taken careful consideration about which species of tree to plant in which space, reflecting what woodlands would naturally occur across Congleton.
Adam Linnet added “We obviously have a very ambitious goal of over 26,000 trees to plant. So we need some help. We will be advertising planting days by putting up posters around the town if anyone wants to come and help us. We also need more space to fit all of those trees in. Whilst we are making a quick start planting on greenspaces around the town, we need to find local landowners who are interested in creating larger blocks of woodland. If anyone is interested, please get in touch, especially if the land is accessible to the public so the residents of Congleton can come and visit the woodland in the future.”
Matt Axford had the final call to arms for local residents. “This is a much needed initiative for the town. We have seen our landscape change drastically in the past few years and Cheshire continues to be the least wooded county in the UK. It’s important we take action and make this long-term investment in Congleton. There is an old saying ‘Societies prosper when people plant trees under which they will never sit.’ I think this is a perfect strapline for Trees for Congleton and amidst the ever-growing climate crisis.”
If anyone is interested in attending an upcoming planting day or has an area of land they wish to be planted with trees as part of this project, please contact Adam Linnet at alinnet@cheshirewt.org.uk