Volunteers to plant 840 trees in Temple Memorial Park in South Shields after 'climate emergency' declared

A total of 840 trees are set to be planted in Temple Memorial Park over the coming weeks, after South Tyneside Council declared a climate emergency earlier this year.

On Saturday, November 16, volunteers from Temple Memorial Park Volunteer Rangers (TMPVR) and members of the community, planted more than 600 trees, near the bench just off John Reid Road.

Even youngsters braved the rain to help plant the trees, which were donated by the Woodland Trust.

The charity is helping fight climate change by giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.

A group of medics from Central Surgery GP Practice on Prince Edward Road, have also donated dozens of trees which they planted as part of their company’s team building activity day on Thursday, November 21.

Meanwhile young people from Groundwork South and North Tyneside are expected to plant another 150 in the park near Whiteleas Way later this month.

“There are quite a lot of trees going in over the next couple of weeks,” said Bonita Nesbitt, secretary of TMPVR.

“The council have declared a climate emergency and we wanted to help. They can’t just say they are going to buy one million trees, but we were able to apply for free trees from the Woodland Trust.”

In July, councillors declared an official ‘climate emergency’ and pledged for the borough to become carbon neutral by 2030, naming improved tree canopy coverage as a priority.

Bonita continued: “It’s a brilliant feeling, when you plant a tree you really do feel like you’re making a difference.

“We are thinking about the future, in terms of carbon, but the trees are also important for providing food and shelter for wildlife and it’s going to create a better woodland area for people to enjoy their walks.”

She added: “It’s already a brilliant park, we’re just adding to it. When you’re standing there you feel like you could be in the middle of the countryside.”