Earlier this year the BWCE Fund gave a £5000 grant to More Trees BANES to insulate their new hub in Twerton. New BWCE volunteer Helen Turnbull went to meet their Director Richard Higgs to find out what they do and how they have used the grant.
More Trees BANES is a charity founded in 2008 by Adam Gretton, with the vision to regenerate the environment and communities by growing, planting and caring for trees across Bath & North East Somerset. Since then it has grown massively, becoming a registered charity in 2022 with over 300 volunteers being involved across 17 nurseries, and a central hub in the BANES Parks Department at Victoria Park where seed preparation, and sowing went on.
A key mission for More Trees Banes is to collect seeds from 20 different local woodlands to reduce the region’s reliance on imported trees, increase genetic diversity and promote resilience to climate change and disease. But equally, this charity strives to connect with the local community, by working with six nearby schools ; creating mini nurseries and educating children on the importance of trees and caring for green spaces.
Furthermore, More Tree BANES endeavours to create a community of its own, with volunteers saying “They are experts in growing trees and have so many different people involved. It’s a really welcoming place to be”. To strengthen their sense of community, the charity moved its base to a permanent hub location in Twerton which the BWCE Fund has supported with a grant of £5000 towards insulation.
The hub is located in Redland Park land owned by the Housing association CURO alongside allotments and will serve as a space for tree seed processing and sowing, training and networking for staff and volunteers and a workspace. Volunteers cleared and landscaped the plot and then constructed a polytunnel on the land before construction began on the hub.
The aim for this building was for the insulation to be as high a specification as possible; 100mm of Rockwall insulation was installed in the roof, walls and floor of the building as well as double glazed windows. Consequently, the hub requires little heating, reducing the charity’s carbon footprint and also their costs. Richard Higgs, Director of More Trees BANES, highlighted that the timber frame and cladding is sourced from the West Country.
As of August 2024, it is still a work in progress as a sink is currently being installed and the final wood panelling needs to be fitted, but it has already made a positive impact in the area as a warming centre to the estate, described to be “wonderful, bringing the whole community together”. Another volunteer noted “For me, trees mean life, they are the lungs of the city. I am so impressed with the way this charity involves families in their important work”.
Moving forward, More Trees BANES are planting a 100m hedgerow in Twerton and are aiming to solidify their position at their hub by finishing the building and the landscaping on the plot. Whilst doing so, they are looking for any volunteers who wish to join this flourishing community and learn more about the charity’s cause.
More Trees BANES is a charity that relies entirely on donations and grants to deliver its work. If you are interested in supporting the work or getting involved in any way please email [email protected] and see the website for more details
