PRESS RELEASE - For immediate release 21 March 2016

A lasting legacy for Wiltshire Tree People

Staff at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and children from Ivy Lane School in Chippenham have been creating a lasting legacy by planting over 1,000 trees donated by the Wiltshire Tree People at the Trust’s Blakehill Farm reserve.

The Wiltshire Tree People sadly closed it’s doors in 2014, but decided to donate it’s outstanding funds to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Because of the group’s connection to, and love of, trees the Trust decided to use the donation to purchase a total of 2,500 trees. These will be used across the Blakehill Farm reserve to create foraging hedgerows.

The Trust staff and children were joined in the planting at Blakehill by Canon Stephen Trapnell and Andrew Blake from the Wiltshire Tree People. Amongst the trees being planted were blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel and several different varieties of native fruit trees. It is hoped that the new trees will create a shelter break for the Trusts cattle based on the farm as well as providing additional breeding sites for the elusive Brown Hairstreak butterfly.

Canon Stephen Trapnell said: “It was with much sadness that we brought the Wiltshire Tree People to a conclusion.  Sharing with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust in planting trees would help bring one chapter to an end and start another.   It would also enable our members to establish a special interest in the Blakehill Farm Nature Reserve, and at the same time to see this noble work being taken forward by others.”

Gary Mantle, Director of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful to Wiltshire Tree People for this generous donation. By planting these trees with the help of staff and children from Ivy Lane School, we will continue their aim of teaching more people to appreciate trees.”

Ivy Lane School join Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s education team every Tuesday for Forest School activities as part of their youth well-being programme.