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Tuesday, 09 June
Environmental
Green
Sustainability
National Garden Week
Here at Live & Local, we are committed to helping the planet. We believe that small acts have big impacts- from tiny seeds to mighty trees! We can all do our bit in working towards a greener, more sustainable future. Gardening and tending to the nature around us are one of the small ways we can help combat climate change.
As part of our June company away day, we took a trip to Leasowe Farm in Radford Semele. In February last year, the team put their green fingers to work and planted trees for Earth Day in a community woodland known as the Children’s Forest. Sadly, many of those trees did not survive last year’s hot spring and summer - a reminder that the escalating changes in our climate are devastating our natural world more and more with each passing year. However, this is exactly why trips like this are so important; to make a connection to natural places, to revisit them and tend nature and the land.
We started the afternoon in Tallis Wood, a community woodland planted 20 years ago. Now it’s a lovely, semi-mature wood where lots of community activities take place throughout the year. This space allows local schools, community groups and members of the public to learn about the natural world and get stuck in with planting, tending and other ways of caring for nature. We sat in a circle and shared gratitude; we all agreed how grateful we were to have the forest space in the Warwickshire area, and to have the pleasure of spending our afternoon in outdoors surrounded by nature.
The team then split into two groups: one stayed and explored Tallis Wood further and the other took a stroll down to the Children’s Forest where many trees have been planted by children and families in the local community, including some the Live & Local team planted.
With wellies and gloves at the ready, we soon got to tending to the trees. We started by carefully removing the protective tree guards from around the tree trunks. The tree guards used at the Children’s Forest are 100% biodegradable, demonstrating the care and passion they have for nature and sustainability. Then it was all hands to weeding! Our aim was to remove the weeds as they compete for water and sunlight and deprive young trees of what they need to grow and survive. We also shared words of affirmation and encouragement with the trees before safely wrapping the guards around them again to stop small animals from nibbling at them. Our collaborative effort was very gratifying and it felt good to play a part in the local community’s eco-restoration efforts.
Meanwhile, the team back at Tallis Wood spent time exploring the beauty of the surrounding landscape. We took a reflective walk beneath the trees, admiring the intricate patterns of the branches and the naturally formed pathways that wound through the woodland. Along the way, we searched for signs of wildlife, paused to feel the textures of the tree bark and immersed ourselves in the sights and sounds of nature. Sitting together among the trees, we shared conversations and reflections, thinking back to our last visit and considering everything that has happened since then. It was a valuable opportunity to reconnect with both the natural environment and one another.
After looking after the trees, we explored more of the farm. We stopped at a spring fed pond. It was lovely to get a glimpse of the wildlife that has flourished in our local area like dragonflies, damselflies, water boatmen, red kites, deer and newts! We were very lucky with the weather, despite a very rainy start to the day, we enjoyed blue skies and beaming sunshine during our time at the farm.
We later headed back to Tallis Wood where we shared our final reflections of the day and a cuppa - of course! Our visit reminded us of how surrounding yourself in nature and connecting to the environment benefits mental health and improves wellbeing, as well as how important it is to appreciate and care for our local green spaces and wildlife.
Learn more about the Leasowe Farm here.
For more information on National Garden Week, please click here.
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