Natural England

Natural England is pleased to announce that the first ever Plymouth Tree Party will take place in Plymouth on Saturday November 10th from 10am-3pm, as part of The Breathing Places Campaign.

Organised by Natural England, the BBC, Plymouth City Council, The Devon Wildlife Trust and woodland charity Moor Trees, the tree party will see members of the public encouraged to plant one thousand trees in 1.5 hectares of land backing on to Ford Park Cemetery in Central Park, Plymouth.

Pete Stevens from Natural England said: "Following on from the Breathing Places Garden Party in Plymouth in July we are delighted to be involved again this autumn with the Plymouth Tree Party. We want everyone to "do one thing" - the Breathing Places slogan. The tree party is a great opportunity for families in Plymouth to do this and it will be great fun as well".

As well as planting trees, the whole family can get involved in activities aimed at learning about and appreciating the beauty of trees. Natural England will hold painting for children and two competitions - making a leaf bag to collect and identify autumn's fallen leaves, and a log collection to show the range of bark and timber and name the trees from which they came.

City Council Park Rangers will also be out in force leading guided walks and showing members of the public the park trees, while South Devon College will carry out tree dressing and the Devon Wildlife Trust will demonstrate how to make bird boxes.

Additional attractions include bark-rubbing, badge making, and planting acorns at the Moor Trees table, some of which have been collected from the Natural England's National Nature Reserve at Wistman's Wood, a small upland oakwood in the valley of the West Dart River in the heart of Dartmoor. A number of these will be used as part of a planting scheme to extend Wistman's, whereas others can be taken home and grown on by the public.

Natural England manages nature reserves like Wistman's Wood throughout the south-west, most of which are open to the public and provide a fantastic opportunity to see and learn about the wealth of wildlife on our doorsteps.

For more information about Wistman's and places like it visit www.naturalengland.org.uk and follow the link for countryside visitors.

Notes for Editors:

• Natural England is the Government agency that works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas.
• BBC South West's Weatherman and keen gardener David Brain, and the Chairman of Plymouth Argyle Football Club Paul Stapleton will be leading the way by planting the first trees.
• The Breathing Places Campaign (2005-09) aims to inspire a million people to transform or create wildlife friendly greenspaces across the UK and heighten public awareness and understanding of the value of nature. Natural England is working with the BBC and many other partner organisations to achieve these aims.
• Additional event supporters include Plymouth Parks, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, and Business in the Community South West.
• Moor Trees (Est. 1999) is a woodland charity working in and around Devon and Cornwall. Its community-based approach focuses on biodiversity, people and the environment. It creates and restores native woodland, grows trees from locally-collected seed in community tree nurseries, provides education and training and promotes climate change awareness.

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF NATURAL ENGLAND BY THE GOVERNMENT NEWS NETWORK SOUTH WEST.