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Inna Costantini

Last updated 21/07/2008 13:17:32

Trees for Cities started life in 1993 as Trees for London when a group of young Londoners recognised the need for more trees in the capital.

The founding vision was to establish a charity that would be highly practical and would work with local communities to get more trees planted and green those areas most in need of greening.

Today, the charity is also involved in a wide range of activities that include educational work with schools and community groups, vocational training in arboriculture, horticulture and woodland management, re-landscaping the public realm, campaigning, as well as ‘trees parties'!

Trees for Cities' work in the UK has spread from London to the Midlands, Manchester, Bristol, Reading and Leeds – and their international work has taken them to places as far afield as Ethipioa, Kenya and Peru.

 

Their community greening projects improve urban spaces by planting and landscaping, changing stark, grey, or uninteresting areas into softer, greener places, using trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs.

Working with local communities -by educating and involving local people- is a key aspect of the charity's work, and they are careful to tailor these activities to the community in which they are working;

generally this would include creative consultation methods, engaging with youth and adult groups and an educational programme linked to the National Curriculum.

Projects this year have included street trees, creating educational wildlife gardens in schools, planting new woodlands, improving existing woodlands and the transformation of bland inner city spaces into enjoyable and creative green space.

Trees for Cities has also become increasingly active in raising awareness on the benefits and value of trees in cities as well as the many threats urban trees face.

They have achieved this through campaigns and events (such as the Tree-Athlon event and the Million Trees campaign in London), press and media activity, and promoting good practice.

People can support Trees for Cities by becoming members of the charity, making a donation or dedicating a tree, volunteering and joining them on events, parties and festivals.