2,500 trees planted across Gateshead schools to improve green spaces and tackle climate change
Schools across Gateshead have planted thousands of trees thanks to an ambitious partnership between Gateshead Council and the Royal Forestry Society (RFS). The project has supported schools to plant 2,500 trees in less than six months.
Trees provide a wide array of benefits, from reducing noise and air pollution, and helping prevent flooding, to providing forest school areas and homes for wildlife.
Each school has received up to 200 free trees along with expert guidance on how to best plant them, from individual trees to mini woodlands on school grounds.
The newly planted trees and mini woodlands aim to expand opportunities for outdoor lessons, engage children in improving their environment, help them contribute to tackling climate change, create wildlife habitats, develop more interesting places to play and shield school grounds from traffic noise and pollution.
The project is funded by Gateshead Council, wit hadditi0onal support from GreenTheUK, Riello UPS and LMAX.
Jess Lloyd, Education Officer for the RFS and Eve McShannon, Woodland Creation Officer for Gateshead Council, have been running planting workshops across the region since November, helping hundreds of children to plant trees and learn how to look after them.
Tree planting in schools will continue through next winter's planting season, with plans to work with up to 15 more schools.
Schools can contact the RFS on learning@rfs.org.uk to find out more and get involved.
Councillor Gary Haley, cabinet member for children and young people at Gateshead Council, said: "This work is really important to us as a council. We have a responsibility to look after the people of Gateshead from a climate perspective, and so to reduce our carbon emissions - but it's also fantastic to be greening our school sites at the same time, to benefit the children.
"We're grateful to Eve and Jess for the good work they've been doing - and how that contributes to our wider tree planting targets."
Jess Lloyd, Education Officer for the RFS added: "With personalised planting plans created by the Royal Forestry Society, some schools have created fantastic hedges to screen off metal fences, create a wind barrier or block noise and pollution from adjacent roads. Other schools are thinking to the future and have created woodland areas for forest schools, endless outdoor learning opportunities, to increase pupil's well-being and provide shade on hot days.
"On planting days, the children have learned that as the little saplings grow, they will provide oxygen and by taking in carbon dioxide, help with climate change. I hope that in the years to come, they will be able to look at an established hedge, or woodland, and proudly say, 'I planted that!'"
In addition to the 2,500 trees planted, 664 children's activity books have been given out to selected schools. Produced by the RFS and Bags of Ethics, the Green Tree Badge passbook contains hours of activities that help children to better understand the newly planted trees at their school and their own connection to the wider environment.
Jemma Cuthbert, School and Community Outreach Officer commented: "Children benefit from having trees in their school grounds in so many ways, not the least of which is making the environment more green and pleasant for their wellbeing, screening off busy roads and providing shade for hot days and future heat waves.
"We work with each school to create a bespoke planting plan tailored to their needs, the space available, the local soil and the changing climate. A wide variety of native trees are chosen so the children can learn about both those species and the wildlife that will use them as habitat. Having a Green Tree Badge book to work through, kindly donated by RFS members, will help keep the learning going after the planting day."
This tree planting project is part of the Council's wider ambition to address climate change in the region.
In May 2020, Gateshead Council declared a climate emergency. This was followed in early 2020 with a motion stating that the biggest single contributor to climate change is the emission of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, and that trees have the ability to counteract this by locking up atmospheric CO2.
As part of its response to the declared Climate Emergency, the Council has committed to planting 100,000 trees on Council land by 2030 and supporting the creation of 250 hectares of new woodland in Gateshead by 2050.
In 2024/25, 21,000 trees were planted, bringing the total number of trees planted to over 38,000 already since 2021 - well ahead of target for the 2030 goal.
The new planting took place across eight different sites and covered a total of 16 hectares - the equivalent of over 18 full size football pitches.
These projects were funded by DEFRA's Trees for Climate fund and administered by the North East Community Forest. The funding is not just for establishing the new trees and shrubs but also maintaining the sites for the next 15 years.
Schools across Gateshead have planted thousands of trees thanks to an ambitious partnership between Gateshead Council and the Royal Forestry Society (RFS). The project has supported schools to plant 2,500 trees in less than six months.
Trees provide a wide array of benefits, from reducing noise and air pollution, and helping prevent flooding, to providing forest school areas and homes for wildlife.
Each school has received up to 200 free trees along with expert guidance on how to best plant them, from individual trees to mini woodlands on school grounds.
The newly planted trees and mini woodlands aim to expand opportunities for outdoor lessons, engage children in improving their environment, help them contribute to tackling climate change, create wildlife habitats, develop more interesting places to play and shield school grounds from traffic noise and pollution.
The project is funded by Gateshead Council, wit hadditi0onal support from GreenTheUK, Riello UPS and LMAX.
Jess Lloyd, Education Officer for the RFS and Eve McShannon, Woodland Creation Officer for Gateshead Council, have been running planting workshops across the region since November, helping hundreds of children to plant trees and learn how to look after them.
Tree planting in schools will continue through next winter's planting season, with plans to work with up to 15 more schools.
Schools can contact the RFS on learning@rfs.org.uk to find out more and get involved.
Councillor Gary Haley, cabinet member for children and young people at Gateshead Council, said: "This work is really important to us as a council. We have a responsibility to look after the people of Gateshead from a climate perspective, and so to reduce our carbon emissions - but it's also fantastic to be greening our school sites at the same time, to benefit the children.
"We're grateful to Eve and Jess for the good work they've been doing - and how that contributes to our wider tree planting targets."
Jess Lloyd, Education Officer for the RFS added: "With personalised planting plans created by the Royal Forestry Society, some schools have created fantastic hedges to screen off metal fences, create a wind barrier or block noise and pollution from adjacent roads. Other schools are thinking to the future and have created woodland areas for forest schools, endless outdoor learning opportunities, to increase pupil's well-being and provide shade on hot days.
"On planting days, the children have learned that as the little saplings grow, they will provide oxygen and by taking in carbon dioxide, help with climate change. I hope that in the years to come, they will be able to look at an established hedge, or woodland, and proudly say, 'I planted that!'"
In addition to the 2,500 trees planted, 664 children's activity books have been given out to selected schools. Produced by the RFS and Bags of Ethics, the Green Tree Badge passbook contains hours of activities that help children to better understand the newly planted trees at their school and their own connection to the wider environment.
Jemma Cuthbert, School and Community Outreach Officer commented: "Children benefit from having trees in their school grounds in so many ways, not the least of which is making the environment more green and pleasant for their wellbeing, screening off busy roads and providing shade for hot days and future heat waves.
"We work with each school to create a bespoke planting plan tailored to their needs, the space available, the local soil and the changing climate. A wide variety of native trees are chosen so the children can learn about both those species and the wildlife that will use them as habitat. Having a Green Tree Badge book to work through, kindly donated by RFS members, will help keep the learning going after the planting day."
This tree planting project is part of the Council's wider ambition to address climate change in the region.
In May 2020, Gateshead Council declared a climate emergency. This was followed in early 2020 with a motion stating that the biggest single contributor to climate change is the emission of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, and that trees have the ability to counteract this by locking up atmospheric CO2.
As part of its response to the declared Climate Emergency, the Council has committed to planting 100,000 trees on Council land by 2030 and supporting the creation of 250 hectares of new woodland in Gateshead by 2050.
In 2024/25, 21,000 trees were planted, bringing the total number of trees planted to over 38,000 already since 2021 - well ahead of target for the 2030 goal.
The new planting took place across eight different sites and covered a total of 16 hectares - the equivalent of over 18 full size football pitches.
These projects were funded by DEFRA's Trees for Climate fund and administered by the North East Community Forest. The funding is not just for establishing the new trees and shrubs but also maintaining the sites for the next 15 years.
