£380,000 National Lottery cash to fund tree and wildflower planting in Burnley

The first consignment will be going in the ground at Bank Hall on Sunday, and between then and March 24, 2024, about 7,000 saplings will be shared out to create micro-woodlands in all 15 Burnley Council wards.

This first tranche is the result of Burnley’s latest Beat the Street game, in which 12,350 players of all ages took part to see how far they could walk, run, cycle, skate and scoot throughout the borough. Participants were awarded points for the distance they covered with every 2,000 points earning a tree.

While the Beat the Street consignment has been funded by Trees for Cities, a UK charity which aims to plant urban trees and create greener cities, the rest of the project has been made possible by the lottery award, the result of a joint bid by Burnley Leisure and Culture and Burnley Borough Council, on whose behalf BLC operates the sport, leisure and cultural facilities belonging to the council, as well as delivering health and well-being services, sports development, arts and culture, and hospitality venues.

The aim of the project is to encourage local volunteers to plant thousands of new trees over the next four years, along with the creation of wildflower meadows in the borough’s parks and other public spaces.

As well as paying for trees, the money will fund a full-time community gardener, who will be based with the council’s green spaces and amenities team.

Paul Foster, BLC’s deputy chief executive, said the idea to apply for the funding came from Burnley’s two successful Beat the Street games in 2021 and this year.

Mr Foster adds: “We plan to repeat Beat the Street in 2025 and 2027 and it was this process that gave us the idea, and the framework, to apply to the National Lottery Community Fund, which focuses on the link between nature and climate and aims to fund projects that encourage community-led climate action. By doing this we are hoping to create a legacy for years to come.”

The tree planting project comes under Burnley’s #OutdoorTown vision – where neighbourhoods are encouraged to develop ownership and pride in local green spaces, and residents recognise the value in accessing nature and the benefits it brings for them and the environment.

What is the full list of tree planting locations and dates?

Bank Hall, 26th November; Cartmel Drive 27th November, Piccadilly, 29th November; Whittlefield, 30th November; Lodge Plantation, 3rd December; Accrington Road, 14th December; Highfield Avenue, 7th January; Rowley, 4th February; Parklands, 8th and 15th February; Disraeli Street, 16th February; Linear Park, 22nd February; Lydgate, 3rd March; Barclay Hills, 7th March; Burnley Wood Park, 14th March; Bedford Park, 24th March.

Cheryl Goodman, BLC’s health partnership manager, added: “We believe we will reach more people through our neighbourhood-based approach. Our experience has taught us that we need to go to the places people are, rather than expecting them to come to us. It means the people who do get involved will have influence on improving the natural environment and biodiversity where they live.”