Local Haringey resident Andrew runs a consultancy business from his home in Wood Green that provides strategy and content for large public and private sector organisations. Since moving to the area, Andrew noticed the absence of trees and wanted to do something about it. His business, Working Content, sponsored three trees to be planted on his street in Wood Green, through our Trees for Streets platform.
Haringey is one of several London Boroughs that Trees for Streets partners with. We focused on raising awareness of the Haringey tree sponsorship scheme across the community during 2021, so it’s great to see local businesses getting involved as well as individual residents and community groups. This article talks about Andrew’s experience.
Street view
Although Wood Green may have been lined with green trees at one point in the past, there is little sign of it today.
We work from my home in Haringey, so it made sense to invest where we’ve got roots.
After seeing a joint appeal for tree sponsors from Haringey Council and Trees for Streets, we decided to get involved.
Andrew Charlesworth
Partner, Working Content
For Andrew, it wasn’t just about investing locally, it was also about putting back what was once there. He recalls when he first came to see this house in the summer of 2009, when there was a tree outside. By the time he came to move into the house in September, the tree was sadly no longer there:
“A depression in the tarmac, where rainwater collected in a puddle, was a constant reminder of the tree’s absence. As well as investing in the local community, this is also an opportunity for us to put back what’s missing.”
Andrew’s street already has some trees, but there’s plenty of room for more. We need to plant thousands of trees nationwide now to ensure they are there for us in the future and should consider them as an investment that future generations can benefit from.
Haringey partnership
Trees for Streets is a project from the charity Trees for Cities that aims to support the planting of 250,000 additional street trees nationwide over the next 10 years. It’s supported by the Mayor of London and funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund and City Bridge Trust.
Haringey is one of several London Boroughs that Trees for Streets are working with to raise funds for additional tree planting. Residents can choose whether to sponsor a tree to be planted in their own street, or a local park.
Working Content sponsored 3 street trees through our platform in 2021. Andrew chose where he’d like the trees to be planted, and was able to state his preference for silver birch trees, to complement those already living in the street.
Bringing trees to Wood Green
Sponsoring trees in the local area had many benefits that appealed to Andrew.
As a business, it’s a sensible investment. According to Natural England, every £1 spent on trees saves the UK £7 in healthcare, energy, and environmental costs.
Then of course there are the many environmental benefits, and the impact that trees have on residents’ health and wellbeing.
The business hopes to sponsor more trees in the area in the future and would encourage other people to get involved.
Andrew says: “I’ll be delighted when the trees have been planted and I can look out of the office window and see them. I’m hoping we can do the same again and sponsor further trees later this year. We’ll branch out into other streets if necessary!“
You can read Andrew’s story in his own words here.
Whether you want to sponsor a single tree outside your house, or rally your neighbours to raise funds for a whole avenue, it’s really easy with our app.
Just click the yellow button below to get started. Let’s fill our streets with trees!
