Thousands of free trees collected for planting across the Chichester district

More than 60 successful applicants collected their trees and will plant them in areas across the district in an effort to protect the environment.

The eco-conscious residents were also given guidance on how to plant and look after their trees, and were supplied with plastic-free biodegradable guards to protect the trees as they grow.

Councillor Penny Plant, cabinet member for the environment and Chichester contract services at Chichester District Council, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people collecting their free trees and looking forward to planting them this winter.

"We’re excited to see their tree planting projects get underway across the district and we know this will make such a difference to our local environment.”

Darren Norris picked up ten bundles of trees for planting on the Goodwood Estate. He said: “The trees kindly supplied by Chichester District Council will become part of the greater Goodwood project to create continuous wildlife corridors for wildlife across the full length of the estate.

“These trees will fill in the gaps in the hedge-line through Westerton village and become part of the later joint project with the council to improve wildlife potential along footpaths and hedgerows for all to enjoy.”

Among other residents collecting their trees were Tracey Savage from the Sandpiper Walk estate in West Wittering and Simon Holman from Fishbourne Roman Palace.

Additional tree collection days are due to be held next year on January 12 and February 17.

This is all part of the council’s Tree Chichester District scheme, which was launched in January and funded by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The council received more than 100 applications from residents, community groups, schools, parish councils, charities, businesses, landowners, and tenant farmers, and plan to give out more than 8,000 trees to successful applicants.

Penny added: “In addition to offering free trees for planting across the district, our Tree Project Officer has also been working on a number of smaller projects which form part of the wider scheme. These include plans to plant three mini urban forests in our district; funding planting of community orchards; and funding tree planting within the farmed landscape.

“The combination of these different projects will have a positive impact on our communities and help us combat climate change in our area. Trees are a precious natural asset and, as a natural carbon sink, are a vital part of the fight against climate change. Trees also create habitats for wildlife, improve biodiversity, and aid wildlife corridors.

“This is just one of the ways in which we are working to protect and enhance our local environment. Last year, the council produced a Climate Emergency Action Plan, which sets out a carbon reduction target of 10% year-on-year until 2025 for the Chichester District. This target was set for both the council and for the whole of the district.

“A huge amount of work has already been done and we’re working closely with West Sussex County Council and other district and borough councils to engage with residents, businesses and organisations about the ways in which we can all play our part in the fight against climate change.

"As part of this, we have been developing a behavioural change campaign to let residents know about the various energy efficiency measures that they can make to their own homes to save money and reduce their carbon footprint — some of these steps are small and simple, but when we all act together, they make a big difference."

“We’ll be sharing more about this campaign very soon, but in the meantime, you can find out more about all the work we are doing at: www.chichester.gov.uk/climatechange.”

For more information about the council's Tree Chichester District scheme, or to find out how to access funding for trees, visit www.chichester.gov.uk/treescheme.