ONE hundred trees are ready to be planted as part of a community project breathing life back into Studley Common.
As part of the regeneration project, which will eventually include a pathway alongside a bird-hide and play area, people are invited to sponsor their own tree.
Chair of Studley Common and Nature Reserve, Janet Byham, hopes the community will get involved with planting the trees at the site off St Jude’s Avenue on Saturday March 11.
She said: “If people are involved in the creation of the common, they will see it as something they jointly own and will enjoy using it and caring for it together,” she said.
“We would like each tree to be sponsored and planted by its new patron. As a thank you for your sponsorship, you will also receive a certificate with your tree’s plot number on it so you can watch your sapling grow and thrive and become part of an amazing eco-system.”
Fifty trees have already been sponsored, and with donations starting from £2, Janet hopes the rest will soon be snapped up.
She added: “Once completed, it will allow access to whoever wants to walk around the reserve enabling it to be used for everything from fun activities and runs to mums with pushchairs and people with disabilities.
“The nature reserve is a place of beauty and peace and quiet away from all the pollution. It’s a real jewel in the crown of Studley.”
The reserve is home to a variety of flowering trees, all of which depend on a wide range of wildlife, from butterflies, bees, beetles, birds to rabbits and deer, to thrive.
With the bird-hide already in action, complete with binoculars donated by local people, volunteer parties have been gradually clearing the common in preparation for the planting of the trees and completion of the pathway, estimated to be next spring. Large tree trunks have also been donated to the project for people to sit on as they enjoy the nature reserve.
To become a sponsor or a volunteer, contact Janet on 07944 520825.
