The Children’s Forest project will establish a new 4-acre woodland at Leasowe Farm in Radford Semele. The initiative will see local children planting and maintaining a “Children’s Forest” for future generations to enjoy.

The Project will also raise awareness of climate change with the children and their families, to inspire and empower them to take action to reduce their carbon footprints and leave a positive impact on the environment. The Children’s Forest will include:

• The planting of 2,600 trees on 4 acres of land;
• Engaging 350 people (of which at least 70% will be children and young people) over 2 years to create the forest; and
• Maintenance of this new woodland for many generations to come.

The project is guided by the Leasowe Land Regeneration Project Steering Group*, whose vision is to engage the local community in a transition from farmland to woodland for a total of 12 acres, thus creating longer term connections to the land, woods and nature.

It is expected that planting of the Children’s Forest will be completed in the 2023 planting season (November ‘22 – March ‘23) and it is hoped will be open to its first visitors in the same year.

In terms of positive impact on the environment, the children’s forest, when fully grown will:

• Extract an average of 67, 700Kg of CO2 from the atmosphere per year;
• Produce an average of 88,400Kg of Oxygen per year; and
• Capture an average of 67,600Kg of harmful particulate matter from the atmosphere per year.

Kristie Naimo, Spokesperson for the Project and Director of ARC said: “We are very excited to be starting this project to help people foster a stronger connection to woodland and nature locally. We hope this pilot will inspire and lead to the creation of more bio-diverse natural spaces across Warwick District.”

We are extremely grateful to Warwickshire County Council for funding this project.

Cllr Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and the Environment, said: “The Children’s Forest at Leasowe Farm is the perfect example of why we created the Green Shoots Community Climate Change Fund.

“In only a matter of a couple of years  Warwick District will have an incredible new outdoor space of 2,600 trees to enjoy and, more than this, at least 350 local people will have been involved in a unique initiative to reduce Warwickshire’s carbon footprint whilst also gaining and sharing a better understanding of our natural world”.

“One of the greatest harms we have done as a species is the vast deforestation of our planet, which is something we are now actively trying to reverse. At Warwickshire County Council, we have made a commitment to plant a tree for each resident in the County, which equates to over 600,000 trees. Projects such as the Children’s Forest at Leasowe Farm will play an essential role in this commitment to tree planting.”

Images below from previous tree planting led by ARC CIC at Foundry Wood in Leamington Spa, 2012/13:
   

* Members of  Leasowe Land Regeneration Project Steering Group meeting on the land in early 2021:

Initial tree planting will take place between January – March 2022. If your group or organisation would like to take part in some of the tree planting days, please contact Kristie@arccic.co.uk for details