School children and members of the local community have planted 3,000 trees at Bluecoat Beechdale Academy, laying the foundations for a ‘microforest’ that will enrich the area for generations.
Under blue skies on 25 November, students and community groups gathered on a patch of land beside the school’s football field off Harvey Road in Nottingham. Their mission? To pack the soil with thousands of saplings of English Oak, Silver Birch, Field Maple planted amongst nearly two dozen native species.
It’s small in size, covering a third of a 3,000 square metre plot set aside by the secondary school for community use. But this tiny forest has been densely planted as per the ‘Miyawaki Method’, with trees and shrubs mixed together to form a multi-layered canopy.
Bilborough East, where the school is located, is the lowest ranking local area (LSOA) in Nottingham for urban tree coverage according to the Woodland Trust’s tree equity map. So those behind the project hope it will bring all the environmental and social benefits of greater biodiversity to the built-up area.
“This is about more than planting trees,” said Katie McClaurin, managing director at Voice for Nature, the charity which is launching its first ‘ReWild Yourself Community Hub’ here. “It’s about growing a living space where people and nature can thrive together - a legacy of well-being, connection, and care for our environment and communities.”
It is a wonderful opportunity for our children to plant those trees - to see those saplings going into the ground
The new community hub will feature a programme of outdoor activities starting spring 2026, developed in response to research from the University of Derby (and elsewhere) which shows a strong correlation between connectedness to nature and improved mental health.
For the kids getting their hands muddy, the value of this fledgling forest is refreshingly obvious. “Normally people have too much action in their life - and sometimes they just need a breather… time to sit down with their friends… enjoy nature and really cherish to the heart what's actually been given to us!" said David, a student from Bluecoat Beechdale Academy.
A blended school and community space could raise safeguarding concerns. But this has been carefully considered, of course; the site will be fenced off from both the football field and road, with access ‘booked in’ like at a leisure centre. This gives it the added benefit of providing a safe space for outdoor yoga classes, for example.
“This is an opportunity for the community to put their roots down in a space they would not have had otherwise,” said Ben Wright, biodiversity and sustainability manager at Archway Learning Trust - the multi-academy trust which includes Bluecoat Beechdale Academy and Bluecoat Primary Academy across the road. Meanwhile, the children can learn green skills increasingly valued in a world crying out for more sustainable ways of working.
Mrs R Frearson, Principal at Bluecoat Beechdale Academy, said: "It is a wonderful opportunity for our children to plant those trees - to see those saplings going into the ground…when they are adults, they'll be able to come back to the space, with their children perhaps, and say: "I helped to build this space for the local area!" - and I think it is something to be celebrated!"
Though it has lain dormant for decades, this earth used to sustain part of an ancient woodland called Shepherd’s Wood. To nudge it back to its former glory, the soil was churned by diggers to aerate it, then fed with heaps of mushroom compost from local suppliers and covered with a thick layer of straw mulch.
That groundwork follows the Miyawaki model, developed by a Japanese botanist for getting mini forests up to speed in urban areas. It was overseen by a conservation organisation called SUGi which Wright reached out to - and which connected him to Voice for Nature. The 3,000 saplings - also numbering Hornbeam, Wild Cherry and Field Rose - are expected to grow up to six feet in around two to three years.
So before long, the trees will help to reduce high levels of local air pollution. And with small pockets of woodland still dotted around the area, the project partners hope the forest will increase habitat connectivity for Bilborough’s non-human residents too.
“Today we've learned about different kinds of trees, and how you plant them,” said Darcy, a pupil at Bluecoat Primary Academy, and one of the young tree planters. “Now there is barely any trees and it is not good for the community… when it will turn into a forest we could go in and see all of the birds that move into the forest and the trees.”
If you’re nearby, watch this space - as the primary school will also be planting another plot of trees next year. Wright tells LeftLion it’s all part of Archway Learning Trust’s passion for reversing habitat decline and connecting its community with nature.
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