T H E D I G I TA L M A G A Z I N E F O R S U P P O R T E R S O F T R E E S F O R C I T I E S

Tree Times

T F C U P D A T E S

TREE-ATHLON

06issue

CHRISTMAS GIFTING TRAINING FOR TREES

Contents

POSTAL ADDRESS: Trees for CitiesPrince Consort LodgeKennington ParkKennington Park RoadLondon SE11 4ASEmail: info@treesforcities.org

PAGES 4- 5

PAGE 11

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TREE TIMES

06issu e

EMAIL: info@treesforcities.org

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A DAY AT KING EDWARD MEMORIAL PARK

TFC UPDATES

CHRISTMAS GIFTING

Using green space to promote wellbeing is nothing new. Indeed, from as far back as the mid 18th Century when Yorkshire’s mill workers were given access to special parks and allotments, people have recognised the benefits of a green environment in promoting good health.

And it is now, more than ever, a pressing issue; poor mental health costs the economy an estimated £26.1 billion a year because of the thousands of people unable to work. Not happy statistics in a time of recession.

One branch of Trees for Cities’ training programme supports and encourages people who are experiencing such mental distress. Using horticulture as our tool, we aim to rekindle the confidence needed to enter the job market by offering work-based learning leading to a City & Guilds diploma.

With our second branch, Trees for Cities supports the higher learner, the local candidate who will find local work, bringing a sense of responsibility, ownership and understanding to their environment. Both tree surgery and horticulture provide the perfect vehicle for such change.

With respected neighbourhoods, more people in work and better mental health, we hope to empower communities across London. The land-based industry in the UK is worth £8.9 billion per year and employs over a million people. Looking after our green spaces is beginning to enjoy the respect it deserves – a true profession. Green jobs have recently enjoyed an overhaul and have been rebranded; Chris Huhne’s ‘green economy’ is here, so lets create a green renaissance!

SuzanneTraining Manager

What a pleasant and interesting

job I have chosen to do for six months! Let me give you a peek in to our garden, follow me…

Morning has risen over King Edward Memorial Park and we grab a rubbish bag so we can do some litter picking - we keep our park looking its best. Bins emptied and litter picked, our manager Ben gives every one of us a job to do - we could be watering trees in south London with our expert waterman Renato or we could be on Manchester Estate, Isle of Dogs putting in some new benches with our supervisor Richard. If we’re in the park we’re probably doing some general park

maintenance, such as weeding, and learning the names of weeds and shrubs as we go, as we are doing a level 2 Diploma in Horticulture.

11 o’clock, time for tea with the lads and have a quick natter about the day so far. Our supervisors are always on hand to tell us what type of shrub that funny looking green one is or to give us plasters for our cuts and even if we need support or help with job searches, our Training Assistant Kate is always there for us any time.

Finish off the task we’re on, sweep and put the weeds in the trailer. We all get along with each other and help one another with certain things - for example if I can’t reach the hedge

with the hedge trimmer I will ask one of the taller guys and if I don’t know the name of that shrub or tree I will ask Steve who probably knows all of them by now.

We have lunch outside by our lovely show piece in front of the office.

Come on lads, Ed’s waiting for us in the van to take us to the recycling centre, that’s the place we unload all the plant material we don’t need. Wow what a horrible smell and probably the odd mouse tucked underneath the dead weeds but it’s all part of the job and we are all good at keeping ourselves motivated. I knew it would not be all fun with regards to the digging, weeding, shoveling, sawing, lifting

but we do manage to leave with big smiles on our faces as we all get along so well and time flies so quick when you’re having fun.

After all that lifting a final cuppa … then we clean up and have a walk around the bowling green with Chris, our trainer, so we can brush up on our pest and turf diseases. We make sure all the equipment is returned to its place and everything is spotless before we get changed and bid farewell to our work colleagues.

The sun has set on the park and we will be ready to do it all again tomorrow.

The sun rising over King Edward Memorial Park by Farid Nainia

Having completed my Diploma in Horticulture with Trees for Cities, I am now very busy job hunting.  

I was already a keen and fairly experienced gardener, but gaining formal training and a qualification, working alongside the professionals, has improved my confidence a great deal.

However, the real benefit for me has been getting back into the rhythm of a regular, structured week, and realising how much better I feel when I’m getting out and being

really productive. My self-confidence has improved a lot and I really enjoyed meeting new people and working in teams with them. I found working outdoors, especially at this time of year, really improved my sense of wellbeing, and my fitness improved with all the physical work. I have also had lots of support in developing my CV and job application skills, which has already paid off with one interview - a step in the right direction!

All in all it has been a great experience!

by Janet Hall

A step in the right direction

Trainee reunionJuly’s Trainee Reunion was a runaway success! Despite threatening clouds, the weather held off and we enjoyed a lovely barbeque, smoothly run by Paul, our Arboriculture Coordinator. Everyone chipped in their sizzling expertise and we soon had a buzzing atmosphere!

Lots of ex-trainees were there - many bringing with them good news of interesting new jobs – and all our current trainees also joined us. It was a great opportunity for everyone to catch up and swap notes.

The barbeque was followed by a couple of rounds at the local pub, sitting outside in the evening sunshine by the river. Our star guest was Tim who painted a beautiful picture of all the training staff – now very proudly displayed in pride of place on our office wall.

For Kate, our new Training Assistant, this was the first opportunity she’d had to see trainees that she had supported from their very first day of training right through to hearing about the outcome of their time with us.

She said ‘it was a really rewarding experience, and I look forward to being able to hear more such good news at our Christmas Reunion in December.’

www.treesforcities.org/training

www.treesforcities.org/tree-athlon

In August we organised a group of 12 Welsh teenagers to volunteer for two weeks on our reforestation project in Ica.

The volunteers planted over 3,100 trees on an organic farm, in schools and in an orphanage bringing the total trees planted by TfC to over 200,000!

Huarango forest is 98% deforested therefore the planting will help preserve critically endangered species and create sustainable food production and livelihoods.

The trees planted should sequester approximately 1,100 tonnes of carbon over their lifetime and help restore the water cycle of the world’s driest city.

ICA, PERU

UPDATESTfC

TREE-ATHLON BAREFOOT RUN After our Tree-Athlon in September, 278 athletes took part in our Guinness World Record Attempt to put on the largest ever barefoot run.

We wanted to bring something new to the day which would help people experience the natural environment in a fun and unusual way – and judging by the photos from the day it looks to have worked!

www.treesforcities.org/ica

Help us to inspire people to plant and love trees in cities worldwide!

Support our tree planting projects with a regular donation

and you’ll be helping:• Plant thousands of trees in cities in the UK, Ireland and overseas• Run our education programmes to inspire children to plant and love trees• Deliver our training programmes to ensure there are people with the skills

needed to care for the amazing urban forest we are growing together!

www.treesforcities.org/donate

Team TreesOur Team Trees running season has now drawn to a close for 2010. Thank you to everyone who made it a great season.

We had people representing Trees for Cities in the Bath Half Marathon, Brighton Marathon, Bupa 10K, Run to the Beat and the Royal Parks Half Marathon.

It’s proven a brilliant success this year and we are eager to grow Team Trees to as many runs and challenges our branches can reach, so if you have any ideas or things you would like to be involved in during 2011 please contact rick@treesforcities.org, otherwise we’ll be mailing you shortly with our roster of what pies we’ve got our leaves in.

Tree-AthlonThe 2010 London Tree-Athlon has been quoted as the best

yet! In its 6th year it has been Trees for Cities’ flagship event and this year’s did just that and then some!

Attempting to smash the Guinness World Record for Barefoot running was a great highlight and the inspiration on the day was outstanding.

A quick thank you to everyone who was involved, our sponsors, supporters, Battersea Park and our esteemed Tree-Athletes!

We’ll be in touch shortly with our plans for next year so keep us in mind, there’s much more excitement to come!

www.treesforcities.org/running

Visit our website for more fantastic festive gifts www.treesforcities.org/christmas

Spread Christmas cheer with our online gifts

or gift a donation to our projects...

Christmas Cards

Pack of ten cards £4.99

TfC T-shirts

Adult sizes £10 Children’s sizes £8

Edible fun£10 helps children learn where food comes from

Celtic tree of magicCelebrate something magical with the gift of a Rowan tree £10

Beech wishing treeMake a wish come true with the gift of a Beech tree £20

Cooking with Jo - Hot Haw KetchupHaws are the fruit of the Hawthorn, a ubiquitous small hedgerow tree. Haws look like small red rosehips (and are related to roses and apples etc). It seems to have been a good year for the fruit this year as I had no trouble collecting enough for this recipe. It’s a traditional accompaniment to cold meats, especially game, and is pretty similar to the familiar brown sauce - I love to use it with sausages!

You will need:

750g Haws, destalked and rinsed, dodgy ones discarded400-500ml malt vinegar (just enough to cover the Haws in a pan)100g soft dark brown sugar1 tablespoon saltFreshly ground black pepperFresh or dried chilli (as much as you dare!)One or two squares of high quality dark chocolate (high cocoa content)

Put the haws in a pan with the chillies and enough vinegar to just about cover them. Simmer with a lid on for a good half hour, until the hawflesh is nice and soft.

Depending on how hot you want your sauce you can fish out your whole chillies now, or leave them in (remember you can always add more pep later). In small batches, press the softened fruit through a coarse sieve, making sure no pips sneak through as they could very easily break unsuspecting teeth! This bit took me ages, and lots of elbow grease. You can add a little water to help in the sieve, but be careful not to add too much as you don’t want your final sauce too runny.

Discard the pips and return the pulp to the pan, warm slowly and add the sugar then salt and pepper a bit at a time, tasting regularly. Add more chilli (powdered this time)if you think it needs it.

Melt in the chocolate, not too much at a go (I put two squares in mine and I think it dominates a bit). If your sauce is a bit too thick add a little water, or if runny, slowly simmer off the excess water while stirring. It will get a little thicker when cooled, but not much.

Pour into sterilised jam jars, or old fashioned glass sauce bottles with metal caps. It’s probably a good idea to keep in the fridge once opened.