All 151 Glasgow primary schools will help re-wild a 13-hectare site on the run up to the UN Climate Summit. The children of Glasgow will transform this site into a Glasgow Children’s Woodland with oak trees that they have grown from seed – proving no-one is too small to make a difference.
The Lost Woods’ /Glasgow Children’s Woodland – a fantastic volunteer-led initiative is empowering Glasgow schools to use their voice ahead of COP26 and inspire world leaders to take action now for young people everywhere.
In partnership with Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability at Glasgow City Council, Green Action Trust, Trees for Cities, Scottish Forestry, Scottish Power and The Conservation Volunteers a total of 17k new trees will be planted on this 13ha site that overlooks the city of Glasgow, giving the next generation a voice, calling for change at COP26 and leaving a lasting legacy for today’s and future generations to enjoy.
Eddie Murray from Glasgow Gaelic School said – “The thing I’m most looking forward to is that all the children of Glasgow are going to make a magnificent green space for future Generations and when we have children, we can tell them… we did that. Plus, going outdoors and planting trees is fun.”
Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, Màiri McAllan said:“Climate change and nature loss are the greatest long-term, global threats we face. By expanding our forests and woodlands we can help to reverse these threats and create a cleaner and healthier nation.”Young people are our future and it’s so important to involve them in this crucial movement at an early age. This project is simply brilliant and a fantastic way to get children involved and make their voices heard ahead of COP26.”
Set-up in December 2019, The Lost Woods project had the ambitious plan of reaching out to all the Glasgow primary schools to help children feel more connected to nature. In March 2020, before lockdown, they delivered tree seed packs to primary schools across Glasgow, to enable children to grow oak trees from acorns, bringing climate optimism and learning to life. The project has now secured a 13-hectare site on the southside of the city which will be named the Glasgow Children’s Woodland and will involve all the primary schools planting their trees this October.
This site will act as the legacy woodland for the UN Climate Summit which will be hosted in Glasgow in November. The Lost Woods hopes to create a wonderful learning experience for all the Glasgow children and develop a woodland that will benefit both the community and environment.
Councillor Philip Braat, the Lord Provost of Glasgow said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for every Glasgow primary school to plant a legacy in the name of COP26 and to help towards changing the tide on the climate emergency we are all facing and something we all need to tackle to make the planet better for all generations.”
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive, ScottishPower said: “Over the last few years we have been hugely inspired by the positive action young people have taken across the country to combat climate change. ScottishPower is supporting The Lost Woods project to give young people in Glasgow the opportunity to create the city’s largest woodland creation for 40 years, ahead of the UN COP26 climate change conference, as we all pull together to accelerate the march to net zero.”
