Since mid-2021, Trees for Streets has been working to promote our national street tree sponsorship scheme to councils across the UK. Haringey was one of the first councils to join the scheme during our pilot year, and we’re delighted to say that it has been a great success.
In this article, we’ll look at a recent good news story from the area, which has seen a new tree being planted outside every single primary school in the West Green Ward.
Saying thank you with trees
Not long after we teamed up with Haringey Council to promote the Trees for Streets scheme, local ward councillor Seema Chandwani got in touch with us. She wanted to raise sponsorship to plant trees outside the six primary schools in the area.
The pandemic had been hard on everyone, and Cllr Chandwani and her fellow councillors wanted to find a way for the whole community to thank the local teachers and school support staff for all the work they had put into continuing the education of children in the area, providing them with some routine during such a difficult time.
Crowdfunding for success
The Trees for Streets team were happy to help them get the project underway and support their fundraising efforts.
The target was £1,500, to enable six trees to be planted – one for each of the primary schools in the area:
- Belmont Primary School
- Belmont Infant School
- Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane
- The Brook School
- The Grove School
- Willow Primary School
Sponsoring a tree costs £250 through the Haringey scheme, which includes the digging, planting, watering, and any necessary maintenance during the first 3 years.
The fundraisers decided to use the local Haringey Giving crowdfunding site to collect donations. Using this platform meant that everyone could get involved and make a contribution, no matter how small.
Cllr Chandwani reached out to other local Ward Councillors, and shared the fundraiser on social media, with regular, engaging updates to encourage people to get involved.
A testament to the power of social media in driving positive change!
Amazingly, over £160 was raised in the first 24 hours! And the funding target for all the trees was met within just 7 days.
A community working together
This was a fantastic community effort. Local people readily embraced Cllr Chandwani’s idea and rallied behind it. Donations were generously made by many different members if the community, including:
- West Green Residents
- Local party members
- Parents/Carers
- Former pupils of these schools
- Residents from other areas of the borough
- Retired people
- Teachers
- Environmentalists
- Tree lovers
Several local businesses donated to the cause too, including local news site Tottenham Life, The Banc restaurant, and urban cheesemakers Wildes Cheese.
Long-lasting benefits for all
These trees will be a memorial to the struggles that residents overcame during the pandemic and a symbol of the community’s gratitude to their teachers and other school staff members.
a ‘thank you’ from the community.
But as well as thanking local school staff for supporting the children and parents of the community during such an uncertain time, the new trees will bring many benefits to the local area. Particularly for young people.
Trees are home to many different types of wildlife and are a wonderful way for young people to learn about nature in an urban setting. The trees that we plant are already medium-sized, so it doesn’t take long to see nature make its way to them.
Trees are known to help with our mental well-being too. Studies show that being around trees, even just looking at them, can reduce blood pressure and stress. School can be a stressful time for children and anything that might positively impact their mental health is a wonderful thing.
