Kettering community invited to Queen's Jubilee tree plant near Ise Lodge

Kettering area residents have been invited to plant a tree for the jubilee on a site owned by Wicksteed Charitable Trust and organised by Kettering Eco Group (KEG).

The event on the site close to Barton Hall will see 420 trees and bushes planted by volunteers as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy launched by Her Majesty earlier this year.

Trees and bushes such as oak, hazel, silver birch, blackthorn, rowan, hawthorn, wild cherry, willow, crab apple, dog rose and elder will be planted, and then be cared for by the Wicksteed Charitable Trust.

Jamie Wildman, Kettering Eco Group member and co-organiser of this tree planting event, said: "The Wicksteed Charitable Trust is keen to improve habitat for wildlife and reforest the wider trust estate as part of its ambitious plans to develop a wider green infrastructure network in Kettering.

"We’re extremely excited to be working with Wicksteed and the Woodland Trust once again to help bring these plans to life with the help of the local community."

The group has set a target minimum of 420 trees and bushes in a hay meadow, west of Barton Hall close to the Ise Lodge Estate, to restore the historic footprint of the 'wilderness' spinney which extends southeast.

Planting will create new habitat for birds, bats and other species, enhance the aesthetics of the area and privacy for local residents, contribute to woodland gain, and increase carbon capture in Northamptonshire once the trees and bushes have matured.

The trees are being provided by the Woodland Trust, with support from Buccleuch Estates with additional trees.

Last week, the Queen’s Green Canopy was launched by the Lord Lieutenant James Saunders Watson and Oliver Wicksteed. The planting event compliments Wicksteed Park’s plan to create a new 1.6-acre Paradise Spinney woodland in the core park in 2022.

Kettering Eco Group co-founder Emily Fedorowycz said: “It’s great to be working with Wicksteed Park again and it’s wonderful that we will be able to re-establish a historically wooded area. This is exactly the sort of thing we need more of to enhance our natural spaces, and we can’t wait for members of the public to join us once again.”

Online sign-ups to plant a tree and more details are available on Kettering Eco Group Facebook page here.

Kettering Eco Group (KEG), a volunteer environmental group, was co-founded in July 2019 by Cllr Emily Fedorowycz and Cllr Dez Dell.

KEG promotes sustainable living locally and climate awareness through renewable energy, recycling, green transport, eco-friendly living, biodegradables, and nature conservation.

The new plantation will be photographed after the event has concluded and added to the Queen’s Green Canopy digital map.

The site’s approximate postcode is NN15 5BS. Its grid reference is SP 88371 77526 and what3words address is dimes.purple.winter.

Click here to find out more about The Queen's Green Canopy