YOU DID IT!!!!
The project has now been launched because of you, and 10,000 new trees can be grown!!! Thank you for the part you have played in growing the change we need.
We are grateful beyond words to Aviva Community Fund for the opportunity they gave us to promote our Seeds2Trees project. As a result, through the support of Aviva, their employees, and the general public, we have been able to launch our project, and are in the process of recruiting our first 100 tree growers, who will grow the first 10,000 seeds.
We will start to distribute the seeds, and growing kit in November. Each grower will have a variety of seeds, such as English Oak, Common Haze, Silver Birch, and Common Alder. They will be undertaking a two-year commitment, but we will be with them every step of the way, encouraging and motivating them as they tend to their growing saplings.
As a team, we are ecstatic to see the project achieve this first milestone, but we still have a long fundraising journey ahead of us, to raise the money that will see the project progress, and the next two rounds of seed distribution successful completed so that in 5 years, we will celebrate the marvellous achievement of the 50,000 new trees that would have been collectively grown.
Again, our thanks to Aviva Community Fund for enabling our crowdfunding opportunity to remain open. We have increased our target which will help us in the next stages of the project. On-going support is much appreciated.
We are also looking for companies to join Northern Structures Ltd, and MH Southern & Co Ltd, who have provided corporate support as a way of contributing to climate change action.
Please feel free to contact Lara (Seeds2Trees Project Manager) direct to find out more.
[email protected]
If you are new to seeds2trees, please feel free to read on to find out a little more about what your donation will be investing in, and helping to achieve.
Further information can be found on our website www.livingwoodsnortheast.org.uk/seeds2trees and can follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/growingthechange
Growing the change we need - Together we can grow the change we need
"At least 97% of published climate experts agree that global warming is real, and is caused by humans."
Seeds2Trees is an initiative that enables us to do something about the consequences of our modern-day actions, and grow the change we need.
Trees are vital to slow the impact of climate change on our communities, and they provide many benefits to us, every day, in virtually every aspect of our lives.
Cool Earth describes trees as “crucial foot soldiers in the fight against climate change.”
Seeds2Trees project aims to grow 50,000 new trees, which Living Woods North East will then plant, that will help reduce the excessive carbon dioxide (C02) in our atmosphere, and prevent extreme weather conditions. It is a project that provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to get involved and grow the change we need.
Livin
g Woods North East is a Community Interest Company that was started by a group of enthusiastic people, passionate to see the restoration of woodlands in the UK, and sharing their love, knowledge, passion, and experiences with trees, and everything about them. Over the past few years, Living Woods has planted thousands of trees across the North of England and has involved communities, businesses, and schools in planting and caring for trees across the North of England.
Living Woods “Seeds2Trees” project aims to see 50,000 tree saplings grown by Autumn 2026, by empowering people, in urban and rural areas, to grow trees from seeds, and help to grow the change we need for our lives.
Your financial support will help to grow 50,000 trees
The UK needs significantly more tree cover to help with its C02 reduction goals. Seeds2Trees project will start right at the beginning of this journey, by inspiring people to grow trees from seeds.
The seeds we will supply to our tree growers will be locally sourced, native UK species. We will provide the information and support to help people in their two-year commitment, to water and nurture the trees.
We will begin by distributing over 13,000 seeds this Autumn, to about 100 people, to achieve a return of at least 10,000 saplings. We will increase the number of seeds distributed, and tree growers recruited, in 2023 and 2024, resulting in a return of 50,000 tree saplings by Autumn 2026.
When planted, these 50,000 trees will populate about 25 hectares of community woodland across the North of England, (about 35 football fields).
Over time, approximately 500 tree growers will be involved, and these will be individuals, households, schools, and community groups, who have access to a small piece of suitable outdoor space. Each grower will aim for an outcome of 100 saplings in two years.
Not a lot of space is needed to achieve this, approximately a square metre, which is why this project is easily accessible to many people.
Watching a tree grow from seed is seeing a little bit of nature’s magic in action. Imagine the extra magic and understanding that will arise in the hearts and minds of hundreds of new tree growers, especially our children.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) which considered a catalogue of risks and opportunities affecting every aspect of life in the UK, states “Action to improve the nation’s resilience is failing to keep pace with the impacts of a warming planet and increasing climate risks facing the UK”
“The UK is experiencing widespread changes in the climate; the average land temperature has risen by around 1.2°C from pre-industrial levels, UK sea levels have risen by 16cm since 1900, and episodes of extreme heat are becoming more frequent.”
Trees are nature’s greatest way to absorb carbon and regulate the climate and cleanse our air. Trees remove carbon from the atmosphere, and as they grow, they convert the carbon into glucose for their cells and store it in their leaves, branches, and roots. They then release oxygen for us to use.
Sometimes the stories we hear about climate change and the reasons why we are facing the challenges, can feel overwhelming, make us feel helpless, and we end up doing nothing at all. Seeds2Trees is a project that empowers us to do something, and while taking on personal responsibility, we can enjoy the magic of growing trees from seeds, and grow a positive legacy for future generations to come.
- reduce C02 by 500,000Kg each year after planting,
- cancel out the carbon released by 10,000 people by storing carbon and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere,
- improve biodiversity and help all life to flourish. Oak trees alone support 2,300 species of which 326 are entirely dependent on Oak for survival. (At least one-half of the new trees are grown from Oak trees.)
The funds needed to manage this project, to buy and distribute seeds and growing kits, actually work out at a similar price per tree, as buying a tree from a commercial tree nursery.
The extra value that this project brings is that 100’s of people will have embraced the responsibility together to increase tree cover (both financial supporters and tree growers).
This creates a very significant and personal contribution to the well-being of our planet, and for life within it.
Furthermore,
- we will know the UK source of every seed planted, and,
- will be ensuring a future, and appropriate home, for all the saplings grown
Just £25 will support 20-25 new trees to be grown, and we appreciate anything you can give, to help grow the change we need.
Remember, “from little acorns, mighty oaks will grow.
Our special thanks to Peter, Hexhamtv for the video production.
Video Photography: Mark Shipperlee & Ben Holden
The Queen led by example, serving the nation tirelessly, for so many years. And for so many years, she also planted trees, starting by publicly planting her first tree (a Yew) at the age of 11, and this picture shows that at 93 she still enjoyed it - she allegedly refused an offer of help. The Queen's Green Canopy is part of her legacy and we, Living Woods North East CIC, are pleased to have planted over 1900 young trees earlier this year in celebration of Jubilee, through this scheme. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your outstanding service, and a life full of examples for us to consider. R.I.P.