Community Tree Planting

1500 Trees were planted at Tewkes Creek, Canvey on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th February. Canvey Town Council will be planting the trees with the help of local schools, sea scouts, wildlife groups and members of the public. The project has been made possible with a grant of £5000 from Essex County Council’s tree planting scheme.

Town council leader Dave Blackwell said: "At the moment, that land is just rough grassland. We really want to plant trees for the future of Canvey, to balance all the carbon dioxide in the air from traffic fumes. There is a lot of land there, 1.2 hectares. It is an ideal site for a nature reserve, with a mini-forest."

Mr. Blackwell believes the land, behind Little Tewkes Nursery, would be a perfect location for teaching youngsters about plants and wildlife. There are a number of birds that frequent the area including Egrets and Kingfishers.

Fiona Hazleton, a community project manager at the RSPB, applauded the council's efforts. She said: "Anything that encourages nature and wildlife appreciation can only be a good thing. The RSPB is also creating a nature reserve in Canvey marshes for people in south Essex to visit."

Bird Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, was pleased the town council was keen to make use of money available. He said: "At the beginning of the year, I made £100,000 available especially to fund tree planting schemes around the county, to protect our environment and improve quality of life for residents. I am really pleased that Canvey Town Council is able make use of this fund, and I would encourage other town or parish councils to do the same."

The trees will be between 1.2 and 1.6 meters in height, four species of tree will be used including Oak and Sycamore along with other plants such as Dog Roses which are suitable for a coastal environment.

Other projects that are being looked at for this site is a Children’s bird hide and fishing platform which can be used by children for crabbing. These areas will provide places for toddlers and young children to experience and explore the natural world and learn more about the environment.