A woman in Bilton says thousands of trees that are being planted in fields close to Nidd Gorge will spoil a wildlife meadow and treasured open space.
Harrogate Borough Council is currently planting the trees in Bilton Fields as well as at Upper Horse Shoe Fields in Knaresborough.
The planting is part of the government’s White Rose Forest initiative to create 10 community forests in England. Oak, hornbeam, hazel, alder, cherry, crab apple and other native trees will be planted.
Rowen Hardcastle, who owns a dog walking business in Bilton, was brought up in the Harrogate suburb and said she has spent over 40 years enjoying the fields. Her husband even proposed to her in the fields because he knew how much she liked spending time there.
Ms Hardcastle said she is in favour of more trees being planted in the district to improve the environment, but the location means it will spoil one of the few open spaces in the area. In the summer, it is a popular spot for games of football and family picnics.
She said:
“It’s not the trees at all, it’s the positioning. It was a beautiful wild flower meadow with kids running around it.
“But they’ve gone right across the kids’ playing pitch. Now they can’t have a kickabout without damaging the trees.”
A map of where the trees will go. Credit – HBC
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The new woodland will have footpaths and some open areas but Ms Hardcastle said many people, particularly women, like to walk in the open fields as they feel safe.
She believes the planting should have been done in a more sympathetic way that retained more open space.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of elderly ladies. They’ve walked around there for last 60 years because it’s safe, but future generations won’t have this vast open space.”
A council spokesperson said:
New mental health event for men to launch in woods near Harrogate“The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire that works in partnership with local authorities, landowners, businesses and communities to plant more trees across the region, improve our natural environment, combat climate change, create jobs and provide happier and healthier places for us all to live, work in and enjoy.
“The scheme has been well received since it was first adopted by the council. And has been publicised widely in the local media – including on the Stray Ferret in both December 2020 and October 2021 – along with the council’s Residents’ News and on social media.
“The planting of the trees reflects what the Royal Forest of Knaresborough would have originally looked like and will complement the surrounding area, create open areas and natural footpaths through the existing fields.
“More than 40% of the site will remain as ‘open space’ and wildflower meadows will be established and managed to further encourage biodiversity, help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.
“Funding for the White Rose Forest project has come from the government’s Trees for Climate Fund. The funding covers planting, establishment and management of the woodland for 15 years.”
It is well-known that men are less likely to open up about their mental health issues, but many struggle to do so.
In an effort to encourage talking, Born of the Forest has launched Men’s Woods for Wellbeing, a men-only event, set in 3.5 acres of woodland near Harrogate.
The forest school’s free initiative will run on Monday evenings at 7pm until 8.30pm, with the first one taking place on April 25.
The sessions have been developed to improve men’s wellbeing and mental health and will focus on talking, being part of a group and enjoying the benefits of nature.
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They are being led by owner Chris Silverwood and his brother-in-law Stevey Gilkes, who say they have been “blown away” by the support received since the initiative was announced on social media on Wednesday night.
Mr Silverwood said:
“The idea came about because we are all aware of the impact the pandemic has had on mental health and that men are less likely to seek help.
“The sessions are our opportunity to use our amazing woodland, to give something back to the community and provide an opportunity for men to get together, talk and listen, whilst learning some skills, chopping wood and sitting around a campfire.
“We thought that this environment and format may be something that guys would be interested in, and we’ve been blown away by the response on social media.
“The session is free and no need to book, just turn up. Although I’m a bit worried it is going to be so popular that the carpark won’t be big enough!”
Born of the Forest is currently expanding its forest school offer, with more holiday and after-school clubs, school visits, pre-school sessions and a new therapeutic forest session for children and young adults with special educational needs or disability.
The private woodland is located next to Follifoot Cricket Club. Directions can be found here.
Ripon school marks National Tree Week by planting 3,000 saplingsStudents and staff at Ripon Grammar School marked National Tree Week with an ambitious 3,000-sapling hedge-planting drive.
Hundreds of students gathered in the school grounds last week to plant the first 2,000 trees over two days.
The project was made possible by The Tree Council’s branching out fund, which supports schools and others across the UK to plant trees, hedges and orchards as National Tree Week inspires people to get outdoors and get planting in the first week of December.
Ava Edwards, who worked with Year 7 students on their massive planting project, in addition to digging in with fellow sixth formers throughout the week, said:
“The tree planting has provided fantastic opportunities for us all to get involved in regenerating the environment on school grounds.”
RGS gardening and wildlife champion, teacher David Bruce, who has been working with student volunteers from other year groups during lunchtime breaks, said:
“This year’s National Tree Week is more important than ever as we work together to tackle the climate and nature crises.
“Trees and hedgerows store carbon, reduce flood risks and improve our air quality, and by planting more we can help grow a greener future. The young people in our community are an amazing force for nature and by planting these new hedgerows they are helping to create a nature-filled legacy for all of us.
“We managed to get around two thirds of our trees planted so far, with the remaining 1,000 set to be planted at a more leisurely pace over the next couple of weeks. Although the planting is almost done, it’s not over because sustaining the growth of the young trees and maintaining them in a wildlife-friendly way is going to be an ongoing project.”
Sharow Church of England Primary School is playing its part in marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee by planting a tree.
The Queen, who is already the UK’s longest-serving monarch, will celebrate 70 years on the throne in June.
The Queen’s Green Canopy tree planting initiative is inviting everyone across the UK, from individuals and organisations to schools and businesses, to get involved
With October seeing the start of the tree planting season, the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, invited children at St John’s Sharow, to plant a hazel sapling in the school’s grounds.
Sharow CE Primary School
Executive head teacher Jacqui Palmer and the Revd. Ruth Newton, parish priest at St John’s Sharow, joined Dr Hartley at the planting ceremony, which was also attended by pupils who are members of the school council.
Before the planting, the children impressed the bishop with their knowledge of the importance of trees to the environment and prayers were said after the sapling had been put in place.
Dr Hartley told the Stray Ferret:
“The school grounds provide such a fitting setting for this special tree and I hope that the children, their parents and staff enjoy seeing it grow and flourish.
“It will be a reminder to them and future generations, of the service that the Queen has given to this country.”
The Woodland Trust, one of the organisations involved in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, said:
“The Queen’s Green Canopy will create a network of individual trees, avenues, copses and whole woodlands in honour of the Queen’s service and the legacy she has built.
“This will create a green legacy of its own, with every tree planted bringing benefits for people, wildlife and climate, now and for the future.”
The photo shows members of the Sharow CE School Council at the planting with, from left: The Revd Ruth Newton, headteacher Jacqui Palmer and Bishop Dr Helen-Ann Hartley
A 37-year bid to recognise a public right of way in a popular woodland near Masham looks doomed to failure.
In 1984, a request to enshrine public rights across the 47-hectare Hackfall Woods was lodged with North Yorkshire County Council.
Councillors are now calling on George Eustice, Secretary of State for the Environment, to dismiss the order. They say it is partly due to the difficulty in establishing how many people walked on the routes between 1964-84.
The order, which anyone can seek if a path that has been used as a right of way for years is not shown on maps, was made on the basis of user evidence at the time of an application in 1984. The application aimed to ensure the public would always have access to routes through the woods, which were not recorded as rights of way.
Michael Leah, the council’s assistant director for travel and the environment, said the council had taken steps to add two public paths to the map as part of a concerted effort to clear a backlog of historic applications. He added:
“North Yorkshire has the biggest network of public rights of way in the country and due to budgetary constraints we have limited resources to manage the network. We have therefore worked on priority applications where recognised public footpaths have been under threat from change of ownership or change of use.
“As the public has been able to use freely the paths through Hackfall Woods the application was never treated as a priority.”
Before issuing the order, the council carried out a consultation and contacted the Woodland Trust, which leases the woods. The trust objected to the order as the landowner had a permit system in place to allow the public permissive use of paths through the woods.
Mr Leah said:
“The effect of this is to negate the acquisition of public rights. Had we been made aware of this issue we would not have made the order.
“Because the order has attracted an objection, we are required by law to submit it to the Secretary of State for a decision on whether or not it should be confirmed.”
The council has concluded that the trust’s evidence, along with the limited likelihood of now obtaining clear evidence establishing that the public had access to the order route ‘as of right’ between 1964 and 1984 meant the public’s right to walk in the woods would be difficult to demonstrate on the balance of probability.
Hackfall Woods history
Hackfall Woods, which is in a gorge of the River Ure, has been a popular visitor destination for centuries. William Wordsworth recommended Hackfall as an approach to the Lake District from Yorkshire in one of his tourist guides, while JMW Turner sketched and painted the landscape in 1816.
It features follies, grottoes, surprise views, waterfalls and a fountain created by the family of South Sea Bubble disgrace Chancellor of the Exchequer and Studley Royal landscaper, John Aislabie who bought Hackfall wood for £906 in 1731. It is believed he bought the woodland to get stone and timber to use at Studley Royal.
From 1851 the Marquis of Ripon, who was Viceroy of India and Grand Master Mason, extended footpaths and as transport became more widely available in the late 1800s the popularity of Hackfall as a visitor attraction grew.
Harrogate’s community woodland starts to take shapeThe people behind the campaign to buy Harrogate’s first community woodland have appealed for volunteers to help plant trees after achieving their fundraising target.
Rick Brewis and Trish Sanders have been part of the Long Lands Common Ltd committee from the beginning of the ambitious venture.
The pair are local landowners and were passionate about stopping plans for a bypass through green land.
They supported the move to buy 30 acres of local land for £300,000 and turn it into a community woodland.
So far the initiative has raised almost £320,000, allowing the group to begin planning the next steps.
Rick and Trish say plans are in place to begin infrastructure work in Spring 2021 – this will include footpaths and working on a disability access point. Tree planting is due to begin next autumn.
Trish and Rick are looking forward to starting work on the woodland.
The committee has been blown away by the response and is now encouraging shareholders to volunteer to help with planting.
Long Lands Common Ltd is continuing to fundraise until December 20 to try and reach its final target of £375,000.
The initial £300,000 target enabled the group to buy the land; funds raised beyond that will go towards the infrastructure work.
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WATCH: Take a look at what might be Harrogate’s first community woodland
Take a look at the 30-acre site that could soon see the creation of the first community-owned woodland in the area.
The project would turn an area of green land, known as Long Lands Common into a public woodland with 40,000 trees.
£300,000 is required to buy the land- before the November deadline. A public appeal has been launched and people will be able to buy shares for a minimum of £50 from July through to November
The woodland plan is being led by Nidd Gorge Community Action (NGCA) and it follows its 3-year campaign against the ‘Harrogate Relief Road’ proposed by North Yorkshire County Council.
Chris Kitson who is the secretary of the Long Lands common group told the Stray Ferret:
Where better to have a new community woodland than on the very same greenbelt land, between Harrogate and Knaresborough, that was threatened by the Nidd Gorge road? 12,000 people said they didn’t want a road and now the same people are keen to buy shares. We hope to have this community woodland owned by as many people in Harrogate and Knaresborough as possible.
It would be our contribution to the northern forest project- a scheme which aims to plant 50 million trees across the North of England.
Chris went on to say that he thinks the support comes at a time where people are feeling like there are just too many new buildings:
I think there’s a lot of concern about the amount of development on greenbelt land, it’s just getting too much now. This gives the community the chance to take back real control, take power into their own hands and collectively own a piece of the greenbelt – to plant with trees, preserve for ourselves and wildlife, and leave as a legacy for future generations, instead of a road.
The community woodland would border the Nidderdale Greenway, close to its starting point at The Avenue, Starbeck and the Bilton Triangle.
Gary Lawson Photography