To celebrate National Tree Week this week, NHEHS had an incredible opportunity to get involved with a local project to plant trees on Horsenden Hill.

The UK Charity, Trees for Cities, has partnered with Ealing Council and are working together to plant up to 6,200 tree saplings on Horsenden Home Field. A mixed variety of young trees will add to aesthetic value and species richness of the field, with the aim to help combat flooding to the sports field and nearby residential area. 

On Tuesday morning, our Eco Reps from Year 1 to Year 6 and Eco Warriors club members went to Horsenden Hill to learn the skills needed to plant and protect trees and our Senior Eco Reps and Year 10 Eco Enrichment pupils visited in the afternoon. We planted a total of 195 trees, including Oak, Silver Birch, Alder, Common Hazel, Wild Cherry and Rowan.

We learnt that aftercare and maintenance includes mulching to help keep the saplings warm during winter, as well as weeding and watering, to ensure the trees grow to maturity. We also learnt why the huge piles of mulch were giving off steam and that worms have five hearts (so that’s why they survive when they get cut in half!). The girls were all incredibly enthusiastic, got stuck in and covered with mud! 

“It’s incredibly important to teach our pupils how to care for our planet and that there are ways that they can make a positive impact on their local environment in the bid to reduce climate change,” said Miss Cassar, the school’s Eco Coordinator for Environment and Sustainability. “NHEHS are delighted to support the good work Trees for Cities do to improve green spaces in urban areas.”