Volunteers plant 600 trees and shrubs around Thirlmere

A local volunteer group run by West Cumbria Rivers Trust recently spent a day planting 300 trees and 300 shrubs at Mill Gill near Thirlmere. 

Volunteers planted native trees and shrubs including species such as rowan, silver birch, scots pine, willow, hawthorn and holly. The planting will have multiple benefits including enhancing connectivity between existing woods along Mill Gill aqueduct, improving water quality in nearby streams and capturing carbon. 

The planting is part of a five-year project being delivered by West Cumbria Rivers Trust who are working with local farmers and landowners to improve habitats in the St John’s Beck Catchment. The project is funded by United Utilities, with support from the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Jonny Kidd, Project Officer at West Cumbria Rivers Trust, said: “This project nicely complements previous woodland planting at Mill Gill and is just one example of many which demonstrate how landowners and farmers are contributing to conservation and environmental improvements in the valley. As ever, we are hugely grateful to our fantastic volunteers who have dedicated countless hours of their time to this and many other habitat improvement projects this winter”.

Caroline Holden, Land Agent at United Utilities, said: “It’s fantastic to see the hard work by the West Cumbria Rivers Trust and other volunteers.  This is a really important project that will not only create a better environment for people to enjoy, it will also make a real difference to the biodiversity and water quality in the area.”

Further tree planting is planned in the Thirlmere valley by West Cumbria Rivers Trust in March.