Donate
A group of people in a line holding shovels in the air & standing behind newly planted trees

Forgotten Places

We want to ensure no community is left behind as we work to plant urban trees across the UK. Through Forgotten Places, Trees for Cities helped local authorities who may have lacked either the resources or capacity to increase their urban trees; planting in coastal towns and cities with 10% canopy cover or less.

Trees for Cities and partners have planted 69,842 trees across 79 locations in seven coastal areas, with 16,000+ trees taking root last season across Bexhill, Brighton, Great Yarmouth, Hull, Portsmouth, Ramsgate and Stockton. This project showcases our model for strategic evidenced-based planting, demonstrating how urban forestry can play a vital role in the green recovery of our coastal heritage, which has suffered disproportionately from lack of investment and opportunity. Key highlights of the project were the creation of new green jobs and the power of quality partnerships. 12 new jobs were created, 36 retained and 17 trainees were hired. Staff reported developing new knowledge and skills, whilst trainees gained a greater awareness of jobs in the green sector.

Last season saw the culmination of our deep dive work in Bexhill, and we produced a Bexhill Tree Planting Strategy in collaboration with partners at Treeconomics. To help support partners navigate the planting challenges presented by coastal environments, we published our Tree Planting in Coastal Towns and Cities Guide, developed in collaboration with Forest Research. The programme was celebrated in our Trees Breathe Life campaign, calling on the public to share the importance of trees in their coastal towns and cities.

The project has been particularly successful in engaging people with little or no experience of tree planting. We are continuing to partner with ever more people and authorities—both coastal and inland—to ensure trees are planted where they are needed most in towns and cities.

0

trees planted in partnership across the multi-year programme, with 20,118 people engaged via community planting events, tree ID guides, training and celebration events.

This project represents a fantastic step towards rebalancing the UK’s canopy cover by prioritising some of our forgotten coastal towns and cities, and tackling green inequality and deprivation for those more likely to face barriers to environmental justice.

David Elliott, former CEO at Trees for Cities

Thanks to our Funders

  • Green Recovery Challenge Fund: The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Natural England, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and The National Lottery Heritage Fund

  • Players of the People's Postcode Lottery; Postcode Green Trust

  • The Queen's Green Canopy

Thanks to our Partners

  • Brighton & Hove City Council

  • Great Yarmouth Borough Council

  • Hull City Council

  • Portsmouth City Council

  • Rother District Council

  • Thanet District Counci

  • Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

  • Field Studies Council

  • Treeconomics

  • Forest Research

  • CPRE Sussex

  • Enterprise (in partnership with the Arbour Day foundation)

  • The Hippie Shake

  • Assured Guaranty

  • Golden Acre Foods

  • AXA

  • GF Smith

  • Inside Out Contracts Ltd

  • Elephant Box

  • Associated British Ports

  • RSM UK Foundation

  • Hays

  • Burger King UK (BK UK Group Limited)

  • Green Park

  • Paint the Town Green

  • Sapling Spirits

  • WPJ Heating

  • Hubspot

  • Wild Earth

  • Topline

  • Fisher Productions

  • Peep Eyewear

  • British Acupuncture Council

  • IX Marketing Limited

  • Woodwarm

  • Ecosia

  • Bauder

  • Greenzone

  • Paxton and Whitfield

  • Air and Grace

  • NU Construction

  • Fluid