Partnership leads to improving the green canopy in Oswestry

The The tree whips and hedging mix, obtained through the Woodland Trust, are being planted on the land the Parish Council owns, to the side of the Play Area in Fitzgwarine Drive and will be registered with the Queen’s Green Canopy project.

Justin Soper from the Rotary Club said it was working with Oswestry School and its community service group.

"We have joined forces with the students who carry out community service on Friday afternoons for a variety of projects. It is wonderful to have the young people on board. It is so important to give the younger generation the ethos of volunteering that will go with them throughout their whole lives."

"We are planting a good mixed native wildlife hedge boundary on the site next to the Play Area and included within this will be three or four trees. Varieties will include Rowan, Hawthorn, Silver Birch, Hazel, Dogwood and Wild Cherry. The Rotary Club was looking for community sites to plant so were really pleased when Whittington Parish Council came forward with the suggestion on planting on their area of land. It is an important help to our carbon footprint."

Frank Davis, Chairman of the Parish Council said: “The Parish Council are really pleased to be part of this initiative and to be doing our little bit to help reduce carbon. We are very grateful to the Borderland Rotary Club for responding to our plans to carry out some planting, which were initiated following a routine tree inspection. The inspector identified the site as ideal for further planting and the Parish Council were keen to follow this up."

Students on the community service project have had their initiatives - such as going into residential homes to interact with older people, chatting and play board games has been disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

More recently the teenagers worked alongside Oswestry in Bloom and the Rotary Club to plant hundreds of daffodils in Oswestry town centre.