Thousands of new trees planted on South Downs
Campaign aiming to plant thousands more
Amajorcampaignhaslaunched with the aim of planting more than 100,000 trees across the South Downs.
Following an initial appeal in 2019/2020, Trees for the Downs has gone from strength to strength and will now look to plant tens of thousands more trees than originally planned.
The campaign has smashed its initial target of raising £61,500 – raising £175,000 in just 18 months after a flurry of donations large and small.
Now, the South Downs National Park Trust has set its sights on raising a total of £260,000 to be able to plant 100,000 trees across Hampshire and Sussex.
The trees, a mixture of iconic species including black poplar, oak, field maple and disease-resistant elms, will be planted in community spaces and along roads and popular walking routes.
The charity appeal was launched in autumn, 2019, to restore trees that had been lost over the past few decades, including those to ash dieback and Dutch elm disease.
As well as scores of public donations, the campaign received backing from a range of regional organisations and businesses, including Aspinal of London, Boltini Trust, Chalk Cliff Trust, Friends of the South Downs, Nyetimber, South East Water and the Swire Charitable Trust.
Julie Fawcett, chairman of the South Downs National Park Trust, the official charity for the national park, said: “The responsetoTreesfortheDowns has been overwhelming and far-exceeded our expectations.
“I think it shows how much we love our trees.”
Some 10,000 of the 100,000 trees are already in the ground, with planting taking place last winter at more than a dozen sites across the area.
Supporters have spoken of their admiration for the campaign and urged others to get on board.
Eric Heerema, owner and CEO of Nyetimber, said: “For over 30 years, Nyetimber has had a single aim: to make the finest English Sparkling Wine, one to rival the very best in the world.
“The South Downs play an essential role in the vitality and quality of our vineyards, as well as, providing land for wildlife, a national park for people to enjoy and an area for local communities to thrive.
“It is important to us that we preserve and enhance this environment for generations to come.
“Therefore, Nyetimber is delighted to support the Trees for the Downs initiative and we commit to planting one tree for every purchase of our limitededition Classic Cuvée bottle available from June.”
The trust hopes to plant the trees in phases over the next four years, until 2025, and applications are now open for future round of planting.
Those interested can email grants@southdowns.gov.uk for more details.
Platt’s Bridge at Ardingly Reservoir is about to undergo major work by South East Water to deter people from using it as a jumping and diving platform during the summer months.
The work, agreed with both Wakehurst Place and West Sussex County Council, is scheduled to start on Monday (10 May) and estimated to take four months to complete.
The company will attempt to keep the bridge open, although when pedestrians approach there may be a slight delay while the workforce make it safe before they are allowed to cross.