Harrow Council is one of the first in the UK to join a new scheme called Trees for Streets, in a project which aims to plant thousands of trees in streets across the borough including in Pinner through sponsorship by residents.
The project is run by the national urban tree charity, Trees for Cities, and is funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. Nationwide, the goal is to support the planting of more than 250,000 trees over ten years by supplementing council tree planting budgets.
Simeon Linstead, Project Director of Trees for Streets told PINNERNews: “The aim is to make it really easy for residents to work with councils and make a difference to the world immediately on their doorstep, to facilitate something as simple, but as powerful, as getting a new tree planted in their neighbourhood.
“The scheme came about because street trees are very expensive and councils have limited funds, councils are pretty keen to green up the streets but they are limited in what they can do. There is a massive appetite amongst the public to make the streets greener and nicer.”
Harrow Council offers residents the option to either sponsor a street tree in their neighbourhood or sponsor a dedication or memorial tree in a chosen park in Harrow. Residents who volunteer to water their tree themselves will be offered a reduced sponsorship donation price of £195.
Simeon added: “The wonderful thing about volunteer work is it’s cutting the cost of contractors, cutting pollution and congestion. Residents can fill up a watering can and water it. This reduces council spending on watering and increases the money they have to plant the trees. Residents can do something simple but powerful.”
Councillor Graham Henson, Leader of Harrow Council said: “Trees are so important and as they grow, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
“This project gives the people of Harrow the means to improve their neighbourhoods both for those who live there now and for generations to come and so it’s yet another reason we can be proud of this borough.”
To find out more about the project visit www.sponsor.treesforstreets.org/provider/harrow-council
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