A green hearted band of Denbighshire volunteers have been recognised for their enthusiasm and passion for supporting a project to breathe life back into nature.
Today marks International Volunteers Day, a day to celebrate and thank people all around the world who dedicate their precious time and efforts to voluntary service.
Over at the Council’s local provenance tree nursery at St Asaph, volunteers have created a community that has stepped forward to support with their own hands several tree and wildflower growing projects.
The Council’s Tree Nursery is funded by the Welsh Government, through the Local Nature Partnerships Cymru ENRaW project and Local Places for Nature grant.
Through their interest and passion for helping nature and learning skills from the team at the tree nursery, the volunteers have helped bring new life to the Wild Service Tree. Fruit from this tree was also traditionally made into a fermented beer like alcoholic drink and it is believed that this beverage influenced the naming of many ‘Chequers’ pubs and inns across the UK
This year they have also helped the tree nursery team produce over 1,000 elder trees from an actual elder growing on the site through cuttings and nurtured over 1,800 wych elm trees which have been grown from seed collected at Loggerheads Country Park last year to help the tree resurge in Denbighshire.
Sam Brown, Tree Nursery Assistant said:
“I really look forward to when the volunteers come over to the site. Its great to work with them, help them learn new skills as their passion for helping nature is amazing.
“They’ve created a lovely little community here at the tree nursery and have really helped us make a positive difference for our local nature through their enthusiasm whilst on site with us.”
Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, added:
“I’m always humbled to see the passion and dedication our tree nursery volunteers have and the way they just give their own time with a lot of smiles that has created a lovely community at the site
“All of our officers working on this project really value the dedication they give and the support they provide and ultimately enjoy the company the volunteers give while they are on. I hope they have enjoyed learning new skills with our team and continue to enjoy being a part of this very important project for local nature in Denbighshire.”
If you are interested in volunteering or need further information, please email biodiversity@denbighshire.gov.uk
