Pupils from Lambeth Academy and primary school children from Honeywell School teamed up with tree planting charity Trees for Cities.
Pupils from Lambeth Academy and Honeywell School were out in force on Clapham Common on Thursday, helping to make their part of London a greener and more pleasant place to live.
The students of Lambeth Academy assisted in the planting of two trees near to Long Pond and the children of Honeywell School helped to plant two more on the common’s western fringe.
Urban tree planting charity Trees for Cities, which this year celebrates its 20th birthday, teamed up with the schools as part of an ongoing initiative to educate youngsters about the importance of trees and their effect on the environment.
Sharon Johnson, Chief Executive of Trees for Cities, said: “Education is a vital part of Trees for Cities’ role in greening urban areas. We aim to teach children and young people the value of trees and green spaces and to enthuse them to become active in promoting their local area.
Ms Johnson continued: “By encouraging children and young people to express their views, opinions and ideas about their local areas we can ensure that the local environment works for them, from wildlife gardens in their school grounds to trees, shrubs and flowers in their local parks.”
The tree planting day builds upon four years of work which Trees for Cities have undertaken with Friends of Clapham Common (FoCC) and Lambeth Council, to replace Victorian legacy trees which are reaching the end of their natural lives.
Rob Robinson, FoCC Treasurer, said: “We are delighted with the work that Trees for Cities are doing here on the common – the more trees the merrier.”
With the support of FoCC, Lambeth Council, Financial Times, the Big Lottery Fund, Capital FM Help a Capital Child, The Western Riverside Environmental Fund (WREF) and The London Society, they have planted over a hundred standard trees and in excess of one thousand young trees or ‘whips’ in the park, which have greatly increased both the biodiversity of the area and its use and enjoyment by local people.
The London Society’s Frank Kelsall, said: “We are pleased to help fund such a worthwhile cause and are keen to see this sort of thing continue well into the future.”
The charity has also helped to regenerate areas of the common which have been neglected or under utilised by planting trees and staging fun family-friendly events, aimed at raising the public’s awareness of the importance of trees and green spaces.
They will continue to replace specimen trees in the park and have created new woodland and a community orchard which will provide an interesting focal point for the area for many years to come and produce free and easy access to fresh fruit.
To celebrate their 20th birthday, Trees for Cities are launching their 20th Birthday Tree-ty which promises to help people change their lives by improving their local environment. For details on how to sign up to the “Tree-ty” and what else you can do to help, visit their website at http://www.treesforcities.org/
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