1000 Trees Community Planting Initiative
New hedgerow planted at the Crown Walkway
12th March 2022
On Saturday 26th March we will be repeating our 1st successful community planting day at the Rainham Riverside, which took place on Saturday 12th March. We partnered with Ross Elliot in his 'Trees for Havering' initiative and planted half of the 1000 saplings we've secured for the Rainham Riverside.
A dozen volunteers descended on the area with a mission to start the epic task of planting several hundred hedgerow whips. The sun shone, the ground was soft-ish (!) and spirits were high. In no time at all 500 hedgerow saplings were in the ground. Come and join us for phase 2 if you're available, tools are supplied so you need only bring your energy!
Benefits of hedgrow and trees
The hedgerow is a valuable addition to our effort to preserve this piece of public realm for staff and local people, and for the native plants, insects, birds and creatures that call the place home. It will bring some of the many benefits that native hedgerows are known to offer, including water conservation, noise and wind buffering, as a wildlife corridor providing essential nesting, forage and shelter for all sorts of creatures, and as a home to beneficial insects and pollinators. An added advantage is that it will help screen some of the industrial buildings and be beautiful to look at, with greenery, flowers and berries across the seasons for staff and visitors to enjoy.
'London's biggest wilderness'
Whilst we’ve been developing plans to make the space more usable for the local workforce and community, we’ve learnt a lot about its ecological value and are making sure we do everything we can to enhance the natural habitat. These wildlife habitats exist all along the Essex and London Thames Estuary, which is referred to as ‘London’s biggest wilderness’ by ZSL (London Zoo), where the combination of mudflats, salt marshes, tide meadows and damp woodland, alongside stretches of relatively untouched and protected green spaces, like the RSPB Rainham Marshes, make the perfect haven.
Calling all horticulturalists
We're now looking to work with either horticultural students, or qualified members of the local community to manage the hedgerow over the next few years. Email us if you're intersted volunteering on the next planting day or if you have suitable skills and qualifications [email protected]