Prospects Community Tree Nursery

Aim: To involve local people in seed collecting, tree growing, and tree planting to create climate-resilient woodlands and boost community pride.

We need your help to get our Community Tree Nursery up and running! With a few key improvements, this nursery could grow over 1,000 trees each year, contributing to a greener, cleaner, and more climate-resilient Hyndburn!

Who are we, and what is our project about?

We are the PROSPECTS Foundation, Hyndburn’s community-owned environmental charity. For over 25 years, we have been supporting the local community, promoting sustainability, enhancing the environment and raising awareness of the climate emergency.

One of our latest projects, TreeACTION, is all about creating climate-resilient local woodlands whilst engaging with the community, improving wellbeing and benefiting wildlife.

We’ve recently secured a space in Accrington to develop into a Community Tree Nursery, where local people and school groups can collect local UK native tree seeds and nuts, grow them into saplings, and plant them across Hyndburn.

The trees grown at the Community Tree Nursery will boost biodiversity, tackle climate change, mitigate flood risks, reduce the effects of pollution, help cool the air during increasingly frequent heatwaves, and inspire pride in our green spaces - but we need your support to make it happen!

Why are we crowdfunding, and what will we spend the money on?

We’re asking for donations to help get our Community Tree Nursery up and running. We need equipment and materials to germinate and grow at least 500 saplings per year, along with hospitality and wellbeing items for our amazing volunteers. If we receive the full £2,000, we'll be well equipped to grow over 1,000 trees a year!

Funds will cover:

• Materials and labour to build raised air-pruning frames to promote healthy, fibrous root systems by preventing roots from circling or girdling. 
• Materials and labour to build new tree-growing boxes, where seeds can sprout safely,  protected from rodents.
• The purchase of compost, woodchip, root-trainer pots, water butts, irrigation systems and hand tools.
• Installation of steps and site safety improvements.

Double Your Impact!

Thanks to Aviva’s match funding, your donation will be doubled (up to £250 per person on your first donation). That means your gift goes twice as far:

£5 becomes £10 – enough for a deep-root trainer tray to grow 28 trees

£10 becomes £20 – covers 3 bags of peat-free compost for our tree planting beds

£15 becomes £30 – pays for timber to build a rodent-proof seed box

£20 becomes £40 – buys a 200-litre water butt to protect trees during drought

£25 becomes £50 – funds a truckload of woodchip to support 600 saplings

£30 becomes £60 – equips us with an irrigation kit and timer to keep young trees watered

Building Community Relationships

Our Community Tree Nursery is rooted in volunteer support. It's a great way to connect, contribute, and cultivate new skills. There are plenty of ways to get involved, including:

• Joining group outings to collect seeds from native trees in autumn
• Planting acorns into specially designed air-pruning beds
• Preparing berries for the stratification process
• Sowing seeds into protective, rodent-proof containers
• Transferring young seedlings into root trainer cells
• Helping with watering, care, and ongoing nursery maintenance
• Joining in with tree planting sessions in winter

Enjoy Exclusive Rewards

As a thank you for supporting this project, we’ve got some fantastic rewards waiting for you, including signed copies of some of these incredible books!

Thank you to Professor Mike Berners-Lee, Katie Holten, and Derek Niemann for kindly donating copies of their wonderful books.

Find out more about the PROSPECTS Foundation and check out our Events Calendar for almost daily volunteering sessions, free workshops and family events. 

This project successfully funded on 9th July 2025