This December, eco-minded organisations have joined forces in Peterborough to help create the region’s very first ‘Mini Forest’, with the aim of helping to restore biodiversity in the city and tackling climate change.
The charity PECT, Peterborough Football and Sports Development Foundation, Peterborough City Council and The Tree Council have teamed up to plant a Mini Forest at the Nene Valley Community Centre in Peterborough (PE2 9RE) on 6th and 7th December 2020, between 10am-3pm.
The team, alongside volunteers, will be planting a variety of wildflowers and 695 trees in a mixture of species to replicate the growing patterns of native woodland, but on a miniature scale. It will create a fast-growing and dense forest in a tiny space, which will deliver a range of benefits for wildlife and the environment, including increasing habitat and food sources.
The new Nene Valley small forest may be tiny, but it will be able to offer flood mitigation, improved air quality, a haven for numerous wildlife species and a space for people to connect with nature in an urban environment.
“Mini Forests are still relatively uncommon in the UK, and this will be the very first created in the area,” explains Councillor Alan Dowson. “l hope that other wards in the city will follow our example, so that together we can create a network of green spaces to benefit wildlife across Peterborough and its surrounding areas.”
“We are very excited to be working in partnership to plant a Mini Forest, because we all face enormous and immediate challenges around the climate crisis that need to be tackled with innovative solutions,” explains PECT’s Tony Cook. “This offers a simple, collaborative and natural-inspired way to positively change the local environment. We hope local businesses and the government will hear about our environmental action and be enthused to support further Mini Forests across the region.”
This project is also part of PECT’s ambitious Forest for Peterborough project, which aims to plant over 230,000 trees in and around the city by 2030. The team would like to thank Waitrose and Nene Valley Community Centre for their support, in addition to Viridor, Persimmon Homes, and Postcode Local Trust, a grant giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
To get involved with the planting event or to find out about setting up a similar scheme, please contact PECT’s Natural Environment Lead Tony Cook on 01733 568408 ext. 312 or [email protected].