The Tree Council was at Dagenham Farm to celebrate National Tree Week and help sow the first seeds of its new orchard, as part of recently launched programme ‘Growing Together’. In the bright winter sunshine, The Tree Council worked alongside local volunteers and colleagues from generous programme supporters M&G plc, clearing beds and building a new seed bank.
Dagenham Farm is one of 35 new schools and community groups that pledged to gather tree seed and nurture young trees, as part of the new Growing Together programme. The initiative empowers passionate local volunteers to raise young trees, and plant them back into their own communities. Over the next three years, Growing Together aims to double the number of community tree nurseries.
Growing trees here in the UK is essential, as it helps reduce the risk of importing pests and diseases that could harm our native trees and woodlands. Through learning how to grow trees, communities gain a lifelong skill – along with the confidence and support to grow the right trees for their local landscapes.
Richard Pollard, Growing Together Programme lead, said:
“It’s been brilliant working with Dagenham Farm. We’re thrilled they’ll be maximising their space by growing trees among their fruit and vegetables. It’s the kind of place you can happily devote hours of volunteering. Today we built raised beds so students who use wheelchairs can access them, because we feel it’s vital that everyone has the chance to learn how to grow trees from seed.”
A new raised bed built for the tree nursery
Before becoming the thriving urban farm it is today, the site was a concrete-and-gravel nursery used by the local council for producing bedding plants, including some trees for Dagenham’s parks. In 2012, Growing Communities took over the site and planted their first crops. It is now home to a biodiverse, productive space growing fruit and vegetables for a local box scheme.
Alice Holden, Dagenham Farm, London said:
“We will use some of our amazing space to have a new community tree nursery that we hope will raise hundreds of trees that we could distribute around the borough. A few years ago we had 40 degree heat in London, and there were fires in Dagenham and I was suddenly aware where had trees and where had shade”.
Tree seed at Dagenham Farm
The Tree Council looks forward to working with Dagenham Farm in the years to come, supporting volunteers in tree care skills, nurturing fruit trees for their produce and creating shade for educational groups.
Watch our short video from Clare Bowen our Director of Programmes, Partnership & Comms about Dagenham Farm and their hopes for the future.
Growing Together is a new programme, supported by M&G plc transforming communities and nature through locally grown trees.
The programme sets out to double the number of tree nurseries in communities and schools across the UK to help shape a greener, more connected future. To find out more, please visit: www.treecouncil.org.uk/growing-together
