It Begins..

December. ‘Tis the season to be jolly. But it’s a bit grey and overcast in Old Moat today. Outside Old Moat primary two men wrestle with a large and impressive Cherry Tree, one of 33 big beauties being planted  along Whitchurch Road to kick start the Council’s £1million Tree Action MCR campaign. 

It really will make a massive a difference, a feature avenue of trees like this.  Even on a day like today, I find myself wondering what it will be like in a few years time when they have grown a little and  are flowering quite happily. There have been some challenges – people still like to park their cars on the grass verges outside their house. So not every green space has a tree, but in time, attitudes can change. 

Two school children, Cllr Angeliki Stogia and Cllr Gavin Evans help plant one of the trees outside the school. “ We plant trees when kids leave every year” says the school administrator. “ We love them!”

 

Councillor Stogia has been instrumental in getting the programme off the ground, a tangible response to Manchester declaring Climate Emergency. Having a £1million Tree Planting programme in the middle of a global pandemic is a real statement of intent  - Manchester is serious about this. 

A heck of a lot of work has been undertaken to get here. This isn’t a piecemeal approach. The City’s Arboricultural Team are painstakingly appraising ever neighbourhood in the City, looking at green spaces and verges that possibly could provide a home for a tree, but that’s not all. 

Noel Nugent, MCC tree officer says “It’s a needs based approach. We are prioritising areas that  have low street tree cover, and looking at how an area could benefit from particular species – we have a suite of possible options for tree planting, trees that fundamentally can help in terms of climate resilience, wildlife value and  aesthetic”. 

This project isn’t about chasing numbers. Its much more than that. Its about  subtlely and sensitively using trees to improve the City in which we live. 

As the first of the trees were planted, a local resident came up to us. “ This has made my day – I read about it and wanted to say how pleased I am to see it happening”. 

The first of many satisfied residents, hopefully!