Volunteers sought for project which will see 38,000 trees planted in Cottingham

As part of a project to create a new 25-hectare woodland in Cottingham, Yorkshire Water are seeking volunteers to help plant over 38,000 trees.  

Yorkshire Water and Tophill Low Nature Reserve are hosting community tree planting events this February, where volunteers will have the opportunity to be a part of history and help create the new Cottingham woodland. 

The first tree planting events will take place on Tuesday 11th and Friday 14th of February between 10am and 12pm.  

Volunteers must register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tree-planting-at-yorkshire-waters-cottingham-site-tickets-1234852409799?aff=oddtdtcreator and are required to bring their own weather appropriate clothing, gardening gloves and sturdy boots.  

Hazel Earnshaw, lead countryside and woodland advisor, at Yorkshire Water, said: “Our Cottingham tree planting project is particularly important as East Yorkshire has significantly less woodland than other areas in the UK. We know that there will be plenty of people in the local community who are keen to get involved and have a go at planting a tree or two, and we are very grateful for the support.”  

The new 25-hectare woodland will see 38,325 native trees planted in collaboration with the Woodland Trust. The native trees, such as oak, birch, aspen, rowan and wild cherry, are being planted on land around Yorkshire Water’s Cottingham Water Pumping Station, which provides clean drinking water to Cottingham and surrounding areas.  

This project is funded by DEFRA’s Nature for Climate Fund under the Northern Forest ‘Grow back Greener’ grant scheme administered by the Woodland Trust. It will help to deliver the Humber Forest and the wider Northern Forest stretching from Liverpool to Hull.  

The new tree planting project follows similar schemes across Yorkshire Water land to create new woodlands. To date Yorkshire Water has planted almost 300,000 trees with many more planned for 2025. 

For Information

Where: Volunteers are to meet on Millhouse Woods Lane, Cottingham (just beyond the Hull City AFC training ground). Foot access only. There is NO on-site parking available as it is a groundwater protection site. 
What3Words: Brings.Flags.Table 
When: 11th and 14th February. 10am-12pm.
Facilities: There will be NO access to toilets, only basic hand washing facilities are available.