Positive start to 2021 signals bright future for The Sherwood Forest Trust in its 25th year

The Trust, like many, felt the effects of the pandemic in 2020, but has kickstarted this year with a number of positive developments, which is all the more special, as it is celebrating 25 years of working for Sherwood

The first is the election of a new chairman, Andy Statham, who takes over from former chairman, Terry Yates, after ten years’ service.

The Trust has also appointed three new members of staff, Matt Smith as conservation manager, Emma Leverseidge as community conservation officer, and Katie Doull as nature volunteer coordinator. These new hires will allow the charity to widen its reach and provide more projects to the benefit of its local communities.

Reflecting on his appointment as chairman, and the Trust’s new staff, Andy said: “I would first like to place on record my sincere thanks and best wishes on behalf of the team to Terry for all of his hard work over the past decade. He has put fantastic foundations in place for us to continue to succeed and we can certainly build on those over the coming years.”

“I would also like to welcome Matt, Emma and Katie on board as we look to the future and how we can continue to diversify what we do and how we do it - to the benefit of conservation in and around Sherwood Forest."

The Trust also recently received the news that it was the only environmental charity in Nottinghamshire to secure funding from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, enabling the team to undertake a wide range of new environmental, conservation and community-based projects. These include restoring lowland heathland sites at Sherwood Heath, Oak Tree Heath and The Neutral Ground at other sites.

The charity is also planning to work with local communities to improve the environment and undertake new community tree planting initiatives. More than 15,000 trees are expected to be planted in 2021 alone, alongside setting up a new Community Tree Nursery in partnership with the local CIC, Feel Good Gardens.