City of Trees is bidding to bag a cash boost from the Tesco bags of help initiative to help new give Wythenshawe woodland Gorse Covert a new lease of life.
Gorse Covert is one of a mosaic of over 20 small urban woodlands in the South Manchester borough of Wythenshawe, situated to the west of Peel Hall Road. Environmental charity City of Trees has been shortlisted to receive a grant of £12,000, £10,000 or £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – with shoppers voting for who they think should take away the top cash award.
City of Trees has been working alongside residents to bring the unused, unloved, woodland back into use and has already cleared over 5 tonnes of rubbish, planted hundreds of spring bulbs, and led local school children on mini beast safaris.The additional funds will go towards planting wildflowers and new oak trees, making bird, bat and hedgehog homes, and further tree management works to make the local community feel safer using the woodland..
Pete Stringer, City of Trees comments “Community spirit is strong in the area, and we are really excited to work with the local people to help bring this wonderful woodland back to life. The much-needed funds will give the project the boost it needs in order for us to turn Gorse Covert into a safe and beautiful piece of countryside on peoples’ doorsteps.”
Voting opens in stores on 31 October, running to 13 November. Customers can cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.
The first round of the Bags of Help initiative saw 1,170 groups awarded grants, with a total of £11.5 million invested into local projects. This year 1,248 organisations from Tesco’s 416 regions up and down the UK will receive a share of the fund.Since the introduction of the charge in October 2015, customers in England use 30 million fewer bags every week, a reduction of almost 80%.
The Gorse Covert project is also being supported by leading housebuilder Stewart Milne Group, Manchester City Council, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group and St Elizabeth’s Primary School
