City of London Corporation staff, Friends of West Ham Park and local volunteers will plant 1,250 shrubs and 38 trees at West Ham Park. This is to take place during national Tree Week on 24 November – 2 December.
The trees will be a mix of Willow, European Hornbeam and Hazel. They are part of the park’s South Meadow Improvement Project, after a £15,000 grant from the Mayor of London’s Greener City Fund Community in July.
With roots going back to 1975, National Tree Week celebrates the start of the winter tree planting season. It is the UK’s longest running celebration of its kind.
Run by the Tree Council, the campaign encourages people across the country to plant around a million trees together.
The City of London Corporation has owned and managed West Ham Park, the largest park in the London Borough of Newham, since 1874. It invests over £1m a year in the Grade II listed site.
Graeme Smith, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s West Ham Park Committee, said:
“These new trees will enhance the park’s woodland habitat for wildlife and improve the biodiversity of the site.
“It’s wonderful to see our staff, the local community and volunteers working towards a greener landscape.
“Together we are playing an important role in the lives of all our visitors and making a cleaner, more sustainable city.”
During National Tree Week the City Corporation is recommending visitors to follow the West Ham Park Tree Trail. The public can discover the beauty of the park’s National Collection of Liquidambar trees in the seven-acre Ornamental Gardens. West Ham Park is also home to the evergreen conifer Monkey Puzzle Tree and one of the oldest ginkgo biloba trees in the country.
The City of London Corporation protects and conserves 18 major green spaces in London and south east England. These include Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, and over 200 smaller ones in the Square Mile.
It manages important wildlife habitats. These include: ancient woodlands, Sites of Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves.
The City of London Corporation funds green spaces across London. Its green spaces, most of which are charitable trusts, are run at little or no cost to the communities that they serve. Over £29m a year of funding comes from the City Corporation, along with donations, sponsorship, grants and income generated on site.
