Primary school pupils are using planting power to help make Liverpool greener for generations to come.
Children from Florence Melly, Leamington Road, Northcote and Rice Lane schools recently converged on Walton Hall Park to plant more than 1,000 young trees.
Over two days, the young people sowed seeds for the future by planting a variety of trees at different locations across the park. They were supported by Liverpool City Council’s Parks and Green Spaces team and The Friends of Walton Hall Park.
The council has teamed up with The Mersey Forest and The One Tree Per Child scheme to ensure that every 10 year-old child in the city plants their own tree. The scheme will see 10,000 new trees planted by 2020.
Previously, pupils from Lister Drive Junior School planted 500 trees in Newsham Park. While children from Our Lady and St Swithin’s and Croxteth Community Primary schools helped plant a further 500 trees in Alt Meadow.
Parks and Green Spaces Development Officer Barry Walker explains: “The children looked at the different environments within the park and planted trees that would be best suited to these locations. For example, in some areas they planted fruit bearing varieties that will help sustain the wildlife in the area in years to come.”
The One Tree scheme is the first key recommendation to be implemented from the city’s Green Spaces Review, which called for children to have greater engagement with the city’s parks.
The Friends of Walton Hall Park have invited the children to come back in the Spring to see how they are doing and to take learn more about the park and its wildlife.
Assistant Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Nick Small, said: “This is a fantastic project which will help to make Liverpool a much greener city. It is also a great opportunity for the children to take an active role in helping to cultivate their local environment. It is wonderful to think that as these children grow they will also see their trees grow to create some wonderful woodland and natural habitats for everyone to enjoy.”
