Planting of new trees across Kimberley will benefit town for 'generations to come'

Dozens of fresh, young trees have been planted across Kimberley in an effort to make the town a greener and healthier place to live.
Dozens of new trees have been planted in Knowle Park.Dozens of new trees have been planted in Knowle Park.
Dozens of new trees have been planted in Knowle Park.

Kimberley Town Council successfully applied to the Forestry Commission’s Treescape Fund for more than 25 new trees, which have now been planted in popular green spaces across town.

This includes the planting of 22 whitebeams and an oak tree at Knowle Park, along with a number of wild cherry trees at the Stag Recreation Ground.

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The plan is to then ‘re-wild’ the areas beneath the trees with native wildflowers to encourage more wildlife and bees into the area.

A special memorial tree has been planted at the Chapel on the Hill to remember those lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. Image: The Nugget/Kimberley Town Council.A special memorial tree has been planted at the Chapel on the Hill to remember those lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. Image: The Nugget/Kimberley Town Council.
A special memorial tree has been planted at the Chapel on the Hill to remember those lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. Image: The Nugget/Kimberley Town Council.

It is hoped that local school children at Kimberley Primary will also get involved in the maintenance of the trees and flower planting at Knowle Park, helping them to learn useful outdoor skills.

Neil Doherty, of the new Environment Working Group at Kimberley Town Council, said the tree planting is one of many efforts to make the town greener and healthier and will stand to “benefit generations to come”.

He said: “We have chosen native trees that will encourage wildlife and soak up lots of carbon.

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“We want the schoolchildren to plant wild flowers underneath to bring bees and insects to the area and help make it more wildlife-friendly.

“There will also be berries on most of the trees, which will feed the birds.

“The new oak tree at Knowle Park will be perfect for wildlife and should attract hundreds of different species in its lifetime, which is predicted to be around 300 years.”

Neil said the tree planting is part of the council’s bid to make itself and the town more environmentally friendly.

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He added: “We’ve switched our electricity to eco-tricity and we’re looking into how we can reuse materials, as well as choosing our suppliers carefully – always trying to take the green route if we can.

"It’s an ongoing process to make sure we are heading in the right direction.”

Along with the other new trees, a special mountain ash has also been planted in the memorial garden at the Chapel on the Hill to pay homage to those who have lost their lives during the Covid pandemic.

The council is also looking into putting up a plaque as a further tribute to lost loved ones.

All of the new trees in Kimberley were planted by Nottinghamshire County Council and Via.

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