Bestwood Country Park awarded platinum status by The Woodland Trust

Bestwood Country Park and on a site in Brinsley, formerly part of Willey Wood Farm, are the two woodland sites to receive the honour.

Councillors and other stakeholders joined The Lord Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire, Sir John Peace, for a special tree planting ceremony at the historic Bestwood Country Park, a site with Royal connections dating back to the 11th century.

Sir John said: “It is truly wonderful that Nottinghamshire is the first in the region to have two new woodlands named as Platinum Woods as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC).

"This initiative is creating a legacy in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth, and the whole objective is to plant trees in communities across the United Kingdom to enhance our environment.

“It is part of our legacy to our children, and our grandchildren.”

The Woodland Trust’s large-scale planting scheme was created to help landowners mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years of service, and new woods will now also serve to commemorate her life.

Approximately 17,000 new trees are to be planted at Bestwood Country Park as part of the Trees for Climate (T4C) programme, and more than 40,000 trees are to be planted across 39 hectares of agricultural land at Brinsley on the former Willey Wood Farm.

Coun Mike Adams (Con), environment ambassador for Nottinghamshire County Council, who nominated both woodlands, said: “The county council is serious about improving our environment and tackling climate change.

"The Trees for Climate programme is crucial to helping us achieve our green ambitions.

“The creation of new woodland areas not only helps fight climate change but helps create essential new woodland habitats and improves air quality.”

Both locations have been funded by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through the T4C programme, a major climate change programme being delivered across Nottinghamshire by Greenwood Community Forest and the county council, with support from DEFRA.

Nick Tucker, woodland creation project manager at Greenwood Community Forest, said: “Greenwood Community Forest is now in the third year of delivering for the Trees for Climate programme on behalf of the county council and by March we will have planted 132 hectares of new woodland areas.

“The creation of the platinum woods is a fantastic initiative to encourage tree planting.

"We’re currently offering grants to landowners in Nottinghamshire to create more woodland in and around the Greenwood Community Forest over the next two years.

"Applicants can find details via our website here.”

Toby Bancroft, The Woodland Trust’s regional director for central England, said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Nottinghamshire County Council and supporting The Queen’s Green Canopy on such a large scale.

“These new woods are a significant contribution in helping nature’s recovery and in bringing the benefits of woods and trees to more people.”

Find out more about Trees for Climate in Nottinghamshire online here.