Croydon RESIDENTS JOIN TOGETHER TO GREEN UP THEIR STREETS
Croydon’s residents have leapt at the chance help re-green their local streets. They’ve thrown their support behind a national charity street tree sponsorship scheme – Trees for Streets. Over the past couple of months almost one hundred additional trees were planted in the borough as a result of this initiative. And Croydon has set its sights on growing these numbers this coming year.
An EARLY ADOPTER
Back in the summer of 2021 Croydon Council became one of the first UK councils to take advantage of Trees for Streets, the National Street Trees Sponsorship Scheme. The scheme is run by a national charity, Trees for Cities, and supported by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which is funded by DEFRA and managed by the Heritage Lottery.
DEDICATED COUNCIL WORKER
Croydon’s Tree Officer, Richard Edwards, got involved with our project when it was just an idea on a drawing board, and his expertise helped to shape the final scheme.
He was instrumental in bringing the Trees for Streets national scheme to the borough.
TECH FOR GOOD
Trees for Streets is a Tech for Good project that uses technology to empower people and make it easy for residents and organisations to get involved in greening their communities. We do this by hosting tree sponsorship schemes on behalf of local councils, and delivering local promotion and engagement activity to bring these schemes to life.
The scheme uses a clever online mapping app that lets residents request to sponsor trees in street location and local parks.
The team at Trees for Streets work to publicise the scheme around each participating city or borough via leaflets, council emails, social media, PR and community contacts.
LOCAL VOLUNTEERS
Local volunteers from the charity GoodGym spent several evenings on foot delivering leaflets to local houses across Croydon to help promote the scheme.
GREENING CROYDON
Residents from all over Croydon have used Trees for Streets to fill empty tree pits and grass verges, from South Norwood down to Shirley. Most residents were keen to fill an empty pit outside their homes, we had some who used the scheme to plant a tree in a local park to celebrate the life of a much missed loved one, whilst a park friends group planted a row of Sweet Chestnuts to create a legacy that will be there for decades, if not centuries to come.
SPONSOR STORIES
Dilan from South Norwood sponsored a tree to go in a nearby street, where a tree pit had stood empty for many years. We thank Dilan for making such a generous contribution to his neighbourhood.
Eve from Addiscombe loves trees, and has had one planted in an empty pit immediately outside her house. She’s also decided to take on the job of watering it.
Raquel, a Reiki Practitioner, who works to re-energise her patients, was keen to re-energise her street with a lovely new tree.
James, a web developer, who lives just off the Purley Way is looking to green up his neighbourhood. He decided to make a start by sponsoring a blossoming cherry to go outside his house, and he now has his eye on other locations.
Michelle had a tree planted in Lloyd Park to celebrate her mother’s life.
These are just a handful of the stories of our wonderful sponsors.
WANT TO GREEN YOUR STREET?
So, if like Dilan, Eve, James, Raquel, Michelle or the Friends of Addiscombe Park you’d like to sponsor a tree to go outside your house or in your street, or in one of Croydon’s many parks, and your council is participating in this scheme, simply use our app to make your request.
If your council is not already working with our charity, or doesn’t already have a scheme, there’s an option on our app to complete an “expression of interest”, then we’ll send them a request to get involved on your behalf.
