Hedgerow planting
A collaboration between Bridge Farm, North Somerset Council, the LANCE Trust and the Forest of Avon has brought about the opportunity to plant nearly 2km of species-rich hedging that will link up two parcels of ancient woodland: Ashton Court and Yewtree Farm.
For more information on the project, read our blog or visit the project page.
We are fast approaching the week-long tree planting event, so please share this information with your friends and family.
Get in touch with Jack Bowman to register your place as a volunteer: treeplanting@n-somerset.gov.uk
Sow wildflowers
Our wildflower seed sowing sessions are complete for this season, but we may well sow further seeds along the bank in the park in future.
You can find out more in the FAQs from our wildflower sowing sessions in Peel Park.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates and/or sign up to our mailing list.
Sapling Care
Join us to help saplings on Toboggan Hill have the best chance of success by removing grass from around their base and adjusting dislodged weed suppressant mats and tree guards.
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Please bring gloves, hand forks or trowels and cane tops if you have some.
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Children are welcome if accompanied by a responsible adult.
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You are advised to wear sturdy footwear.
Please let us know if you're planning on coming so we have an idea of numbers and can let you know if we need to cancel.
There are no organised dates at present, but email us or follow our Facebook page to be kept updated.
Planting trees can help in several ways, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, they can also help reduce flood risk by slowing dow the run off of water from the land.
Taking practical local action like sapling care or planting trees makes a small difference, but we also hope it raises awareness of the issue of climate change locally, demonstrates that there is an appetite for more action to tackle it and shows that as a group we can be relied on to work with local landowners such as the University of Bristol.
Planting trees can help wildlife in many ways, whether it's the 423 types of insects that might be found on an Oak tree, or the birds that use trees for nesting and the insects found on the trees for food. Tree's are just one part of the answer, other types of habitat need protection or creation to address the ecological emergency and we aim to be doing more around Long Ashton to help increase biodiversity in the future.
Reasons to join in
The last few years have been unpredictable and, in many ways, damaging for all of us. We’re now faced with a cost of living crisis along with the dangers faced by the climate change and biodiversity crises too.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed but research sows that there is increasing evidence that “nature is an important need for many and vital in keeping us emotionally, psychologically and physically healthy”.
In 2020, Public Health England carried out a review that showed “living in a greener environment can promote and protect good health, and aid in recovery from illness and help with managing poor health.
People who have greater exposure to green space have a range of more favourable physiological outcomes. Greener environments are also associated with better mental health and wellbeing outcomes including reduced levels of depression, anxiety, and fatigue, and enhanced quality of life for both children and adults”.
Not only that, but the review states “Green space can help to bind communities together, reduce loneliness, and mitigate the negative effects of air pollution, excessive noise, heat and flooding. Disadvantaged groups appear to gain a larger health benefit and have reduced socioeconomic-related inequalities in health when living in greener communities, so green space and a greener urban environment can also be used as an important tool in the drive to build a fairer society”.
The review also puts a price tag on the true value of green space and, astonishingly, recent valuations have estimated that “£2.1 billion per year could be saved in health costs if everyone in England had good access to green space, due to increased physical activity in those spaces”.
Children, in particular, feel increasingly disconnected from nature and yet, given half a chance, thrive when involved in giving wildlife a helping hand. As the RSPB states “Developing an enduring relationship between people and nature, connecting people, may be critical for future nature conservation”.
The LANCE Trust hopes to facilitate people to act for themselves and work with each other to give nature a boost in Long Ashton and help create wildlife-friendly corridors along the valley to neighbouring parishes and beyond. In doing so, we can help ourselves, develop new skills, increase our knowledge, help wildlife and create a more resilient ecosystem that will help mitigate the impacts of climate change.