Treemendous effort by whole community

DOZENS of residents rolled up their sleeves to plant more than 200 trees in their Hartlepool neighbourhood.

- By SUE KIRBY Reporter [e-mail]

The project has already planted more than 2,500 trees

The work was carried out at the Phoenix Centre site on the town's Central Estate in a bid to help tackle the low tree canopy cover and forge a greener, healthier future for the community.

Primary school youngsters, students, volunteers, residents, project partners and funders came together for the celebratory planting day marking the first planting season of the ambitious Tree Equity for Hartlepool project, led by environmental charity Trees for Cities.

The aim is to transform some of the town's lowest canopy neighbourhoods into thriving green spaces.

Five awards were presented during the day, recognising those driving invaluable change within the community:

The Hidden Roots Award was presented to residents of Elwick Grange Care Home for sharing their personal stories of Hartlepool's natural heritage.

Pupils from Clavering Primary School received the School of the Season Award for their enthusiasm and hands-on commitment to planting.