Local community helps plant a new woodland
A new woodland has been planted at Stover Country Park as part of the Restoring Stover Park project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The three-year project was recently completed, having restored historic features, improved Stover Lake, upgraded paths and trails, and delivered new and improved facilities. The biodiverse woodland, which has been established with the planting of mixed native trees, is another legacy of the initiative.
At the start of the Restoring Stover Park project, a micro-tree nursery was created at the Courtenay Centre in Newton Abbot and at Stover School, in partnership with Devon Wildlife Trust’s “Saving Devon’s Treescapes” project, and with help from the Stover Shed volunteers.
Children from Bearnes Voluntary Primary School and Stover Prep School helped gather tree seeds collected within the historic Stover Park grounds. They then worked with numerous Stover Country Park volunteers to help prepare, germinate and grow the tree seeds in the micro-tree nurseries.
The three-year old trees from these nurseries are among the trees to have been used to establish a new woodland between the Stover Centre and the lake.
Two successful tree grants were also secured for 700 trees from “Saving Devon’s Treescapes” and 2,500 trees from The Tree Council as part of National Highways’ Community Trees programme.
Last month, 99 pupils from Bearnes Primary School helped plant some of the trees on the former de-silting site at the park, and 150 pupils from Stover Preparatory School planted a hedge along the fence line of the recently restored Serpentine Lake.
On Valentine’s Day, 100 people also turned out for the ‘Spread the love, plant a tree’ event. Those who took part commented that they loved planting the trees together as a family and they looked forward to seeing the trees flourish in years to come.
The final trees of the woodland were planted at last week’s celebration event which marked the end of the Restoring Stover Park project. Every guest who attended was invited to plant a tree – all supported by the dedicated volunteers at Stover.
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said: “This mixed broadleaved woodland is another wonderful legacy of the Restoring Stover Park project. Everyone involved in this inspiring initiative should be extremely proud of what’s been achieved over the past three years. The new woodland will create an important habitat for wildlife and significantly improve the biodiversity, and at the same time help mop up carbon from the atmosphere at Stover Country Park over the long term. It’s a great addition to this incredible green space and there’s no doubt it will be an important asset for future generations.”
Eve Malster, Restoring Stover Park Community Engagement Officer, said: “This three year project has been a wonderful example of partnership working, community involvement, and volunteer support. Hundreds of schoolchildren have learned how to grow trees from seed to sapling and then plant them out. Numerous volunteers have gained new skills in tree growing and conservation, helping to bring the project together. There are now community tree nurseries in Heathfield and Newton Abbot, and Stover Country Park has an amazing new broadleaved woodland. We couldn’t be prouder of this piece of work, and it has all been made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and our other funders.”
Jasmine Atkinson from the Saving Devon’s Treescapes project said: “It’s been brilliant working with the team at Stover Country Park to deliver some great joined up projects. Schools, volunteers and community groups have all worked together to grow trees from seeds collected at Stover, which will then be planted back into the park. A great story of bringing people together to make a real difference to wildlife and communities, and a fantastic way to use the skills and resources of two National Lottery Heritage Fund projects to make an even bigger impact.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It’s wonderful to see schoolchildren, volunteers and the wider community come together to plant the trees that will shape Stover Park for generations to come. Restoring Stover Park’s legacy is not only through its fantastic transformation for nature but also through how its connected with the local community. Thanks to National Lottery players, Stover Park will continue to be a place people cherish long into the future.”
Sara Lom, Chief Executive at The Tree Council, said: “It’s uplifting to see Stover Park springing back to life - a reminder of what’s possible when a whole community comes together to get trees in the ground. We’re delighted to support the restoration through the National Highways Community Trees Programme, not just for the landscape it transforms but for the joy, pride and lifelong affection for trees that it will bring to the children and volunteers who’ve helped make it happen. We hope it will serve as an inspiration for others considering an application to the scheme in future.”
Ben Hewlett, National Highways Senior Environmental Adviser, said: “Our Community Trees Programme is delivering hundreds of thousands of trees to communities across England, helping local places thrive while strengthening nature. We’re working in partnership with both The Tree Council and Greenwood Plants to help charities, landowners and community groups source high-quality, UK-grown native species, and at Stover Country Park we’re delighted to have contributed to a project which will create benefits for the local community and wildlife for decades to come.”
To find out more about National Highways’ Community Trees Programme, log on to https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/environment/nature/our-community-trees-programme/
