What could be fun, a good form of exercise, bring people in the community together and at the same time have a hugely positive impact on the climate and nature crisis?
The answer: planting trees.
For the last few years St Lawrence’s Church in Hungerford have been inspiring hope in the face of the climate crisis by planting thousands of trees in their local community – in schools, estates and farmland.
Twice a year, a team of people from both the church and local community, led by their vicar, Mike Saunders, have been connecting with local landowners to plant trees on their land – and having a lot of fun doing so.
We wrote a feature about the wonderful work they are doing for our blog in 2024, and a few weeks ago we joined them – with film crew in tow – for their latest tree planting adventure at Little Hidden Farm with members of the church, the local community and the farmer / landowner.
Watch our short film and be inspired by their story:
Growing trees is one of the most positive things we can do for the climate. Trees are an important carbon sink and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere; but they also provide numerous other benefits, like providing habitats for wildlife, shade in the summer. They also help reduce soil erosion and can act as an important flood defence.
Did you know that schools and community groups can apply to get trees free of charge from the Woodland Trust twice a year?
With over 50,000 church congregations in the UK, collectively we could make a massive impact on the climate.
Could your church run a tree planting project in your community?
To find out more about how your church could start growing trees, along with helpful tips and suggestions, visit our Growing Trees Resources page. Also check out the Woodland Trust page for schools and community groups.
