Helping hands needed to create London forest

Volunteers are being invited to help create a new forest by planting trees in west London during March.

Ealing Council has teamed up with environmental charity Letting Grow to create the forest on the site of a former golf course at Pear Tree Park in Perivale.

The new forest will cover three acres and contain 5,000 trees including native deciduous species such as oak, beech, rowan, cherry and hawthorn.

Letting Grow said it is holding a variety of themed days each week in March and is extending its invite for volunteer planters to all Londoners.

Plans for the new forest are part of broader initiative to improve the local environment by re-wilding hundreds of acres in Ealing.

At the start of the week, the Letting Grow team will be carrying out intensive planting sessions, but schools can join special planting days on Thursdays and businesses can take part in planting on Fridays.

"This is a fantastic chance for everyone to get outdoors and reconnect with nature and make an impact by creating a new urban forest from scratch," said Ross Walker, chief executive of Letting Grow.

"Working in nature has been shown to give a real psychological boost, and it's a great way to learn and for teams to bond through cooperation."

He added the forest could absorb up to 100,000kg of carbon dioxide every year when mature, saying: "It will help the fight against climate change, it will cool the local environment and it will boost bio diversity in the area."

Many areas in London continue to benefit from donated trees, with the Woodland trust donating 18,240 trees to 137 schools and community groups in the Greater London area through its free trees project.

Woodland Trust free trees project leader Steve Shill said: "Evidence shows being among trees enhances our mood, reduces stress and improves our physical and mental health.

"The simple act of planting a tree will positively impact on nature and people for years to come."

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