Family tree planting day to commemorate the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Families, volunteers, councillors, and the Lord Mayor joined forces to plant fruit trees and hedges on the grounds of Moorings Way Infant School.

The planting day was part of the national tree planting initiative called The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC). Funding for the event came from Trees for Cities, who have awarded Portsmouth £30,000 to deliver commemorative planting in the city.

Some of the funding will also cover 16 standard trees at the school which will be planted in March.

Volunteers included those from Charles Dickens Community Orchards, Portsmouth and Southsea Tree Wardens, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, and The Good Gym.

Additional fruit trees and hedges were donated by Charles Dickens Community Orchards and Portsmouth Tree wardens The event was a great success with over 200 people attending to help make the school a greener place for generations to come.

The hedges will create a home for a wide range of small animals, birds, and insects. Hedges also help to capture pollution, reduce noise, and mitigate flooding.

The next planting day is planned for Saturday 4 March at Castle View Academy, with fruit and standard trees as well as hedges to be planted. Everyone is welcome to help plant on the day. However, children must be supervised by a parent or guardian. The planting will start at 10am with a training session.

Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment at the council, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to get stuck in and help to plant trees in our local environment, which will benefit those attending, working and living close by to the school.

“It was a privilege to see the community come together to learn more about trees and hedges and how they can benefit all. I am looking forward to the next planting day at Castle View Academy.”

Ruth Vonk, Head of School at Moorings Way Infant, said: “It was lovely to have families from across our community come together for this commemorative tree planting. We have a large and beautiful green space at our school where children love to run freely,  which we use to enhance our children’s curriculum, so it has been a pleasure welcoming people on site to plant more trees for generations to come to enjoy.”

To hear more about how the council is addressing climate change and improving the environment, sign up to regular climate change updates that include stories, information about events and funding you can access. Go to www.portsmouth.gov.uk/climateaction.