The Bradford Neighbourhood Woodland Programme

Aim

We wish to increase Bradford's tree coverage through planting new woodland on identified land in as many neighbourhoods as possible.

Trees are incredibly important if we are to achieve sustainability.  They act as natural carbon sinks, turning CO2 into organic matter.  They also help to reduce flooding, purify the air and provide habitats for wildlife.  At one time, over 90% of Britain would have been covered with trees.  Today, around just 13% of the land has them.

We have been working for many years in and around the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, helping residents to develop community projects in their neighbourhoods to improve their quality of life.  Following an extensive research exercise where we have identified sites across nearly every neighbourhood in the City where trees could be planted, and we have secured the relevant permissions for the vast majority of these sites, we now wish to work with residents to plant new trees and create neighbourhood woodlands.

In addition to the environmental benefits, these new woodlands will help bring people together to work on planting and tending to the trees.  This will help reduce loneliness and isolation, promote a sense of community identity and belonging, and improve people's mental health and wellbeing.

We will use the money to purchase trees to plant along with stakes, ties and guards, and to cover any out-of-pocket expenses our volunteers may incur such as travel costs.  We intend to recruit and train new groups of volunteers across at least 20 neighbourhoods in the City.  The legacy of this will be the beginnings of new neighbourhood woodlands that will have further trees added over the years and will outlast most of our lifetimes.

This project successfully funded on 11th August 2023