Going with the Phloem

Hello, and I'm sort of back.  Well just for this one post. I have been back since the beginning of January but only for a few days. I have been out and about in schools as usual! This post is all about our event at Ray Park! And then I'm really off!! A new intern who starts very soon will hopefully do a better job at updating you and getting a few more of you to read this.

So, Ray Park is in Woodford and we are working with Redbridge council and Vision Redbridge to plant 15,000 trees as part of our 20th anniversary here at Trees for Cities!!  The boys had been down in the park making sure that we could do all the planting on the 12th of January. It turned out to be the greatest planting day I have been to!!

The Trees for Cities gang was there bright and early as I'm sure you'll have realised if you've been reading about our other events.  It's quite large site and we were all overwhelmed but the work that had to be done in the following weeks (next week if anyone wants to come along, email [email protected]). We got the vans unloaded and the marquees and stalls going.  Volunteers had already started arriving which was amazing, and everyone got digging!

There were so many volunteers (a big thank you if you came), just over a 100 turned up! We planted so many trees and I made some great new friends! A really cold day turned out to be a fantastic community day that inspired lots of families and other visitors to the park to plant a trees.  The community spirit was marvellous and I can believe how much we have gotten done.

The volunteering efforts carried on last week, through the snow and cold weather.  I am pleased to say that lots more people have volunteered and we are about half way through the 15,000 tree target!

We still need more volunteers to come along and help on the 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st January.  Please email [email protected] if you are free to come along during the day. 

It has been an amazing journey to witness so many volunteers and members of the community to come together and change the world they live in. 

We've had our last community planting day before Christmas! This means that we are nearly there! Only 5 days until Christmas and I for one can't wait.

Last week our Christmas lunch was great! We went out to the Bonnington Cafe and ate lots and drank even more.  It was a lovely evening. I wish we could do it more often!!

Now to fill you in on my busy week! I was out with a school planting at Stockwell estate with Year 3, who loved plug planting so much they finished them all!! I'm glad we could get them out of the class before Christmas but it was rather cold! They gave me and other passers by a lovely rendition of all the songs and carols they were going to be singing in church the next morning (WOW Silent night in German). 

I was then out with Polly in Romford.  I think we chose the worst day to be out and about ever! We were looking at different sites to plant street trees around the ring road.  When I left to get there there was only drizzle but the rain got steadily heavier.  We were finding the sites as well as letting neighbouring residents and businesses know about them.  There were quite a few sites so lots of walking! Some of the sites didn't have any residents or businesses so made it a little easier for us.  At the last site the rain picked up massively! We were so wet by the time we got to the train station that I couldn't see (glasses and warmth!) and Polly had ponds forming in her pockets! I was quite glad that the day was over but the blue skies later were very annoying!!

The day of Stockwell Gardens East planting day arrived which you can read about in my earlier post.  And all of a sudden it's Monday again! It was a special day at Mount Stewart Juniour School as the minister for Food and Agriculture David Heath was coming to visit.  I was a mad scramble to get everything in some sort of order as it's a working site! The children loved their day.  Lots of whip and tree planting to get their hands dirty with and a nice opportunity for them to meet an MP. 

I was teaching with Jesse and Laura from the Landscape team the next day too.  We had even more trees and plugs to plant and finally we had been out with every class to do some planting.  Everyone love waking through the squidgy mud and I hope they will remember where they planted their trees. 

Today is my final day in the office this year and that means I'm at the end of my internship.  I'm not quite as sad I as I should be as it hasn't really sunk in.  I'm going to be helping until a new intern is found but I don't think that'll take too long with an amazing opportunity like this! I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into the wonderful family at Trees for Cities and especially the YCE team.  I also want to say goodbye to Alice who is also leaving.  I love you all very much Trees for Cities gang. 

Our finally event of 2012 and the Trees for Cities gang were smaller than usual but still as raring to go! The team where assembled at 9am for set up and ready for the public by 10:30!

The project is set in the main green space in the estate by the playground.  Edible bushes and trees have been planted as a foraging fringe for the local residents and the gardening group to take home and enjoy. In other areas of the estate a wildflower meadow was being created as well as lots of raised beds for veggie :)

It was a slow start to the day, but more people came along after lunch.  The children loved doing some planting and I'm glad they did! There are lots of different aspects to this project that brings a real sense of community to it.  I hope that all the residents come along and get involved with the residents gardening club and the children love the foraging fringe!

It's December and there's only one more event before Christmas! It's mad that I've been here for nearly three months! I am really looking forward to getting lots more done before I go. It's the lead up to the Stockwell Garden estate planting day. 

I was at another school this week helping the parents do some planting and learning about planting standard trees ie huge! I don't think the parents knew what they let themselves in for! We were digging large pits along the avenue where the parents pick their children up from.  The pits were quite hard to dig as they were mostly clay, they were sweating away just so they could tell their children they had planted a tree at their school.  It was really lovely! It took us an entired day to get all of them planted.  Unfortunately, the tree I helped plant was still tied at the top so we created more work for the boys! They are doing an amazing job there and I can't wait to see it when it's finished. 

We have had a work experience student with us in the office this week, her name is Rosa.  She had been helping with everything this week!! I wasn't in for most of the week and missed out on hanging out in the office :( hopefully I'm going to get her to write a little piece for the interns blog!

With Rich, Rosa and I also helped at the Stockwell Gardens estate. We took some year threes out to do some activities and of course some planting! I also went back and ran the activities again for another class.  They loved it, it's really nice to get schools invloved in local projects. 

The Trees for Cities gang was out once again.  9am on site ready for set up! It's really cold and we are all hoping to get warmed up by unloading! Time seems to be going really quickly, and the marquees are up, food and registration desks done, arts and crafts done and not forgetting the face painter. Volunteers start arriving and of course the all important band! They keep us going the whole day!

At Aspen Green we were planting a woodland strip along the railway line.  It's a nice area and soon there are more people joining us.  Residents have come out to see whats happening a long with more volunteers.  There were 400 or so whips to be planted and we managed to achieve our goals.  There was lots more to be done but with the help of everyone who came lots of trees were planted, twig stars were made and faces were painted (not just me this time!).  Lunch and snacks were amazing as usually and helped keep us going through the longish day. 

The Aspen Green community planting day was now only two weeks away! It didn't seem like much time to get any work done! It's always action packed in the Trees for Cities office, I was out doing the tidy up from the Clapham Common event, then other bits that needed doing and by then there was only a week to the Aspen Green planting!!

We had a busy week of flyering the Stockwell Gardens estate for the community day and a residents planting workshop.  That afternoon we had out Movember bakeoff! Everyone who wanted to was to bring in some sort of baked good that was mo themed! In the office Rich, Michael and David had been growing the taushe's for nearly a month and it was time for us all to raise some money.  I think Rachel's shortbread won the bakeoff as they were particularly tasty! My flapjacks however good they were did not have an sort of mo theme as the icing melted off them few I tried :P

Nina and I had a nice day at a local Aspen Green school getting the year 3's and 5's to do some whip planting.  Paul and two of the trainees were overseeing the frozen soil digging along with us.  Winter had set in.  The children loved it, although the year 3's found it a bit difficult.  I love that I am part of getting children out planting, a new experience for some of them, a real privilege!

An early start for the Trees for Cities gang, 9am we are all on site ready to get set up before any of the forecast rain! I have been looking forward to my first event as I missed the first proper planting day :(  The boys get us ready for the unloading, briefed by Nina, we all know how to lift heavy objects and are gloved up! Everything is unloaded and the marquees go up! Set up is nearly done, tools are unloaded, mulch is put into piles.  The Forest Knights are also set up! They traveled from Bogner Regis to come to the even! They are showing everyone what can be made from wood and and have a spoon creating challenge!

We are shown how to dig the area for the whips that are going to border the tennis court and everyone sets off to do as much as they can! The public start arriving and are more keen than us to get stuck in!! The children are getting their faces painted (and me), then are off to do some arts and crafts before joining their parents to dig! We were also planting an orchard, there are 15 fruit trees that needed planting.  Everyone is so enthusiastic about getting to plant their own trees, especially fruit trees! I know I was and I will definitely be going back to see how they turn out. 

We also got to meet the mayor of Lambeth as he planted a Jubilee oak tree! Everyone got to stop for a nice hot lunch before the digging continued. Soup and bread to warm us up, with a few sweet treats as well!