Fifth Lockdown Wood plants by Newbury Friends of the Earth in Hamstead Marshall

A fifth Lockdown Wood has been planted in West Berkshire, writes Max Carter Keall.

Newbury Friends of the Earth planted 110 home grown tree saplings in its fifth wood in Hamstead Marshall recently.

A team of 22 people gathered to plant the new wood, on a meadow belonging to villagers Hallam and Katie Goad, dedicating individual trees to the memory of those lost in the pandemic and "looking towards a brighter future for the environment".

The group has planted more than 2,000 trees in a number of locations during the project. The trees include oaks, chestnuts, maple, silver birch and yew.

A hedge was also planted with home-grown hazel, hawthorn and holly, and recycled tree guards were put in place to combat deer-grazing.

Newbury Friends of the Earth coordinator Dr Susan Millington, who is the Lockdown Woods project leader, said: “We had a fantastic morning, in unseasonably warm dry weather, planting our fifth Lockdown Wood.

“We are very happy to have planted well over 2,000 trees during this project.

"In time these will remove carbon from the atmosphere and lock it up in beautiful, life-giving woodlands.

“It was so heartening to see a group of friends coming together to do this important work and enjoy each other’s company at the same time.”

One of the organising team, Clive Williams, added: “This was a fantastic opportunity to combine community activity with helping the environment.

“It is good to think that many people have improved their mental wellbeing during the lockdown restrictions of the Covid pandemic by looking after and raising the saplings which we planted here today.”