7th January 2025
Please see the below update from #ThameTrees:
2025 is looking exciting for Thame’s nature recovery plans! Read on for details plus our 16th January drinks event….
Our long-term goal is to boost canopy cover in Thame, offering improved habitats for wildlife, shade and cooling in the face of climate change, reducing air pollution and creating community green spaces with more character than the featureless grassy areas we currently have in many areas of Thame.
We are delighted to tell you we secured funding for the Four Parks Project from Trust for Oxfordshire Environment…
This will include:
- Queen Elizabeth Circle park – arcs of spaced out trees to offer a choice of shade and sun throughout the day in the play area.
- Elms Park – completing the hedge at the front of the park, in collaboration with the Red Kite Centre to allow young families the chance to learn about planting trees.
- Lenthall Green – light tree landscaping and a mix of classic hedging and spaced shrubs, working around the complex utility network in the area.
- Churchill Crescent – following the sad demise of the enormous black poplar, a new design including apple, pear and plum trees and some rare native species is in the pipeline.
Additionally, we will continue to complete other small projects such as:
- Replacing the tree guards at Queen Elizabeth Circle with neater, more robust ones.
- Responding to requests from local residents to explore tree planting near their homes and co-designing projects for next season.
- Collaborating with local farmers and supplying them with free trees and exploring opportunities for hedgerow restoration.
- Optimising our recently-planted hedges’ growth opportunities for this coming year by mulching to reduce competition from weeds.
- Nurturing tiny trees and collecting potted trees so we keep a supply of free trees available for donation to residents and ad-hoc mini-projects, and replacing any unsuccessful trees.
- Coordinating watering teams ready for the summer season.
In 2024, we:
- Planted over 2000 trees locally including and coordinated watering volunteers – new projects were created at the Skate Park, Elms Park, Langdale Road, and two separate hedges at the Showground.
- Replaced trees where gaps had developed in hedges or planted trees at the Showground, Lenthall Green, Queen Elizabeth Circle, Howland Road, Lucy Electric, the Rugby Club and local allotments.
- Gave away around 130 free trees to Thame residents and had some great conversations about our work.
- Supported local farmers with hedgerow management, free trees and networking.
- Worked with several local businesses wanting to give volunteering time to the local community including BP Collins, Lucy Electric, Lightfoots, Carmichael, Kubota and Richardsons, and enjoyed the excitement of new tree-planters!
We’d love you to get more involved! You can plant, design, organise, water, educate, publicise – there are tasks for everyone and you’d be surprised to know much of the work is actually done indoors! We are an inclusive organisation so if you need any adjustments to help you take part in activities, just let us know and we will be happy to find a way you’ll enjoy joining our work, even if it’s just the indoor tasks.
Do you have any potted trees you’ve been nurturing? We’d like to collect them as we have a local farmer keen to restore their damaged woodland and can also use them in upcoming projects.
Drop us a message on [email protected] and please come along to our drinks event on 16th January at 7pm upstairs at Racquets Fitness Centre in the Cattlemarket (RSVP). Enjoy a free drink and nibbles, meet the team and other volunteers, and find out all the different strands of 21st Century Thame’s work and see if there’s anything you’d like to try your hand at this year.
