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Family plant almost 300 trees to fulfil dream of creating woodland
A Cheshire resident with some spare, unused land adjacent to her home has made the move to plant a small woodland for her family to enjoy for years to come.
Helen Joynson, owner of Hope Barn, built her home in Agden, Cheshire, with her late husband. When they moved to the property, they shared a dream of creating a woodland on their land, located next to their home. Several years on Helen has achieved their original plan with the support of her three grown up children who she lives with at the property.
The paddock next to the property had never been used, so Helen was keen to make better use of it. After contacting The Mersey Forest, Helen received support and grant funding through the Trees for Climate programme to plant 274 trees, made up of 211 native broadleaf trees, 45 shrubs and 18 fruit trees on the site.
Helen explains: "We already had a small orchard in a section of the paddock, but we were keen to add to that. We've planted a mix of trees including pear, plum, crab apples and apple trees."
While there was already existing wildlife in the area, such as owls, the family were keen to attract more to their property by planting a mixed species woodland that would provide ideal habitat for a range of mammals, birds and insects. Helen said she also wanted to be able to walk through the trees on the land and plant something for future generations. "I really like the idea that my grandchildren will one day get to enjoy it when it is more established," she said.
Helen found out about the Mersey Forest's funding scheme through a member of staff at Cheshire West and Chester Council. "Lots of other organisations I'd approached had needed more hectares to be able to fund the project, so the grant through the Mersey Forest was perfect," said Helen. "The team was a dream to work with, and I was delighted that someone understood what I wanted to do."
Allium Green Space, a local landscaping company, planted the site. Helen was keen to get involved and helped the team with planting on the day.
"This was very much a family project," said Helen. "And as the summer after the planting was very dry, the children all pitched in to help water the trees regularly to make sure they survived."
If you are interested in finding out about the funding and support available for tree planting projects in the area, visit our webpage about woodland advice and grants for landowners.
Helen Joynson, owner of Hope Barn, built her home in Agden, Cheshire, with her late husband. When they moved to the property, they shared a dream of creating a woodland on their land, located next to their home. Several years on Helen has achieved their original plan with the support of her three grown up children who she lives with at the property.
The paddock next to the property had never been used, so Helen was keen to make better use of it. After contacting The Mersey Forest, Helen received support and grant funding through the Trees for Climate programme to plant 274 trees, made up of 211 native broadleaf trees, 45 shrubs and 18 fruit trees on the site.
Helen explains: "We already had a small orchard in a section of the paddock, but we were keen to add to that. We've planted a mix of trees including pear, plum, crab apples and apple trees."
While there was already existing wildlife in the area, such as owls, the family were keen to attract more to their property by planting a mixed species woodland that would provide ideal habitat for a range of mammals, birds and insects. Helen said she also wanted to be able to walk through the trees on the land and plant something for future generations. "I really like the idea that my grandchildren will one day get to enjoy it when it is more established," she said.
Helen found out about the Mersey Forest's funding scheme through a member of staff at Cheshire West and Chester Council. "Lots of other organisations I'd approached had needed more hectares to be able to fund the project, so the grant through the Mersey Forest was perfect," said Helen. "The team was a dream to work with, and I was delighted that someone understood what I wanted to do."
Allium Green Space, a local landscaping company, planted the site. Helen was keen to get involved and helped the team with planting on the day.
"This was very much a family project," said Helen. "And as the summer after the planting was very dry, the children all pitched in to help water the trees regularly to make sure they survived."
If you are interested in finding out about the funding and support available for tree planting projects in the area, visit our webpage about woodland advice and grants for landowners.
