Forest for Peterborough aims to plant over 180,000 trees in and around the city and surrounding countryside by 2030: one tree for every person living in the city. The project is already enabling change to take place in the city, having planted nearly 100,000 trees in the last seven years.
PECT wants to improve tree coverage to create a network of wooded areas, improving our green spaces, the quality of air we breathe, and also making sure that Peterborough is less vulnerable to the effects of flooding and other extreme weather. The tree planting will change the city’s landscape, forming a vital network of wildlife corridors and green spaces.
Now the project is in the running to receive a prize fund of either £4,000, £2,000 or £1,000. The amount awarded is dependent upon the number of customer votes received through Tesco’s in-store Bags of Help initiative. The Bags of Help scheme sees community projects awarded grants raised from the 5p plastic bag levy.
“Forest for Peterborough means so much, not only for the quality of life of city residents today, but for future generations of Peterborough citizens,” explains Project Officer Simon Belham. “Bringing together communities, schools and businesses for the volunteer planting days means that everyone can get involved with and contribute to improving their natural surroundings.”
Voting is open in stores throughout May and June. Customers can cast their vote using a token given to them at the store check-out when they shop at Tesco. For more information visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp.
The stores participating in our region comprise:
Peterborough (PE7 8BD)
Peterborough Metro (PE1 1TA)
Peterborough Oundle Road (PE2 9PJ)
Stanground Express (PE2 8RJ)
Wistow Way, Orton Express (PE2 6XN)
To check the location of the stores, visit http://www.tesco.com/store-locator/uk/.
For further information about PECT’s Forest for Peterborough project, visit www.pect.org.uk/forest.