New woodland to be planted close to Sheffield

The new woodland, off Athorpe Road, will see 7,700 young trees planted on former grazing land, in a scheme supported by the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership and funded through the Woodland Trust’s Grow Back Greener programme.

The woodland will be named the Queen Elizabeth II Community Woodland, as a tribute to Her Late Majesty and her Platinum Jubilee Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.

Biodegradable tree guards will protect the newly planted tree whips and this will ensure that there is no plastic waste on the site.

Work has already taken place to prepare the site, including youngsters from from Laughton All Saints CofE Primary School taking part in a litter pick day.

Councillor David Sheppard, cabinet member for social inclusion at Rotherham Council, said:

“The Queen Elizabeth II Community Woodland forms part of our efforts to create a greener and cleaner local environment for residents.

“There will be lots of opportunities for people to get involved in this exciting project, including a planting day, which is set to take place later this month.”

Matt North, programme manager at the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership, said: “We really enjoyed working with council officers designing a woodland that will be a home for nature that the public can enjoy.

“It’s fantastic to see the local community being able to take part in helping create and care for this significant project in Dinnington.”

A community planting day will take place on Saturday, February 25 from 10.30am to 3pm, off Athorpe Road, opposite Tesco car park.