How you can help……
There are many ways that you an help us promote the importance of trees in the City of Birmingham
and as a result of raising awareness, increase the amount of money available to plant more trees.
You can get involved in events by sponsorship, by helping to organise them, by just being there or
by getting your hands dirty!
• By coming along to our PLANT A TREE FOR LIFE hands-on tree Community Woodland planting
sessions in December 2009 for communities or businesses
click here
• By joining in when trees are planted in your local open space organised by the Friends of Open
Spaces Groups
click here
• By sponsoring a large semi-mature tree in a park
click here.
• By becoming a Foundation Sponsor if you are a business interested in improving the environment
in Birmingham and involving your staff in a very worthwhile local project
click here.
• By sponsoring a Reading Tree
click here.
• By joining The Birmingham Civic Society and becoming involved in the work of running the project through the Trees Committee
click here.
• By joining the Birmingham Open Spaces Forum and becoming involved in generating new tree
planting projects in your local park or open space.
Click here.
Sponsoring a semi-mature tree in a park near where you live or work.
One or more large trees can be planted in a park near you and we will look after them for two years.
These trees are large enough not to be vandalised by being broken off and they really do look like
‘proper’ trees immediately they have been planted. Each large tree costs £200 including planting
and aftercare. If you want to donate a single tree, it will be added to one of our programmed planting
schemes in your area of the City and you can come along and get involved. If you would like to donate
five or more trees, we will organise a planting day especially for you at a location near to where you live
or work and you can gather friends, relatives or colleagues to come and help plant the trees. As they are
so large, we use contractors to dig the planting pits with a machine and lift the tree into place.
Healthy soil is then put next to the tree so you can fill the hole (spades provided) and then they are securely
staked to protect them. Such trees are suitable for celebrating a birthday, anniversary or business event.
They can even commemorate the loss of a loved one. We cannot mark these trees with a plaque, but you
can visit them anytime.
Becoming a foundation sponsor
Does your business sympathise with the aims and objectives of Birmingham Trees for Life?
If you are a business that would like a long-term relationship with us, then you could become one of our
Foundation Sponsors. You will be kept fully involved in the progress of the campaign and be invited to events.
We would be looking for a three to five year relationship, with a donation of £5,000 per year and during that
time we would invite you to at least one planting day a year especially dedicated to you, where your company
can involve staff and colleagues in a hands on event with trees. Your support will be fully recognised on our
website, in our literature and through press releases.
Sponsoring a Reading Tree
Reading Trees are a new concept supported by Community Services Volunteers. They work with children,
mainly in inner city schools, to teach them about the importance of trees and encourage them to read and
write about them. A large tree is then planted in the school grounds together with a circular bench around
it so that the children have a shady place to read and relax. Shade is increasingly important in playgrounds
that are often bare environments. The whole package of education sessions, providing and planting the large
tree and providing the bench on paving, costs £3,500. Several companies might like to get together to share
the cost. Whether you sponsor a Reading Tree or make a contribution, you will be invited to the planting
ceremony and be able to take part in listening to the poems and stories that the children have written about
the importance of trees. Full details of this innovative project can be found
here.