Green Roots: new trees and green skills training for communities across Lewisham
Street Trees for Living and The Orchard Project have been awarded funding to plant trees and train young people to look after them.
Lewisham is set to receive 400 new trees under The Tree Line, a programme funded by the round two of the Mayor of London’s Green Roots Fund.
Over £335,000 of funding has been awarded to the programme which will cover Lewisham and South London.
It will allow for the new trees to be planted, as well as training young people to look after the greenery.
The Tree Line is a partnership between Street Trees for Living (STfL) and The Orchard Project and aims to transform areas across Lewisham and wider South London by bringing trees into areas where they are most needed.
The Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment Mete Coban said: “This project will bring hundreds of new trees to neighbourhoods across Lewisham and South London to help create greener, healthier streets, keep Londoners cool and reduce the risk of flooding.”
The project’s partners will work alongside Lewisham Council and local community groups to plant trees and create green corridors, with hopes of improving air quality and bringing shade and aesthetic uplift.
As well as planting new trees, the project’s funding will support 30 young people to achieve a Level 1 Award qualification in Managing Community Orchards, meaning that the new trees will remain well cared for.
Training for the project will prioritise marginalised groups, with a focus on young people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds who have historically had unequal access to London's green spaces, and those not currently in employment, training and education.
Coban explained: “We know that the climate crisis will disproportionately affect Londoners in communities facing the greatest inequalities,” adding that the project aimed to “empower communities” to reintroduce nature.
The two-year project aims to listen to local communities and understand their needs, encouraging local participation through events and activities.
The primary focus for the project is Lewisham, with cross-borough work expected in neighbouring Southwark and Lambeth.
STfL was founded in 2011, when it was a two-person "Tree Committee" as part of the Brockley Society. In its first year it planted four trees, and it now plants around 500 per year.
Trees planted by STfL in previous and on-going projects have a survival rate of 95%, which they put down to their support for communities. The organisation has already planted over 3,000 trees.
Round two of Green Roots is funding several other projects across Lewisham.
Wild Tide at Creekside will restore habitats on Deptford Creek, involving local residents and vulnerable communities and developing a business plan for a climate resilient creek.
Grow Lewisham was awarded new funds for The Plot, its experimental, inclusive space for growing produce, and will offer free workshops and classes.
Money was also awarded for the restoration of the "Big Bed" at Manor House Gardens, Lee, to create an accessible path and make it climate-resilient and nature friendly.
“The benefits of nature should be for everyone,” Coban said.
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