Spring has sprung across the borough thanks to two projects aimed at enhancing green spaces and bringing people closer to nature.

An avenue of flowering cherry trees has been planted in Barrow Park, along with a small woodland area near to an existing tree line and hedgerows to help develop the area as a natural habitat for wildlife.

A second project is underway to enhance otherwise bare green space around residential areas with natural planting of parkland trees and hedgerows. These locations include Bank Lane, Brathay Crescent, Vulcan Road, Calder Green, Severn Road, Church Street, Ormsgill Community Centre.

The two schemes have been funded by the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest which, with funding from Defra’s Trees for Climate Fund, is planting thousands of new trees throughout Barrow, Copeland, Allerdale and Carlisle to help bring people closer to nature.

The residential project also received funding from UK charity Trees for Cities.

A spokesperson for Barrow Borough Council said: “Barrow Park will benefit from further tree cover, helping its biodiversity, and making the popular site more beautiful for those who use it. Giving neighborhoods more green spaces will be beneficial for everyone, improving public health and l contributing to climate repair.”

Unlike traditional forests, community forests aren’t geographically restricted to one place.

The Community Forest is a partnership project being led by Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Woodlands, in close working with other local councils including Allerdale Borough Council, Barrow Borough Council, Carlisle City Council and Copeland Borough Council. It is also being supported by a range of other organisations including Art Gene, The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, The National Trust and Britain’s Energy Coast.

James Cobbold, Director of the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest, added: “In our first year, the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest has funded the planting of approximately 27 hectares of trees and woodland across Cumbria, in partnership with local communities. We are delighted to support the plantings in the borough of Barrow-in-Furness, and we look forward to funding more woodland creation in and around Barrow in the future.”

Roddy Shaw, UK Development Manager at Trees for Cities, said: “With over 80% of the population now living in towns and cities in the UK, it is vital we all act now to ensure our urban areas provide healthy green spaces for both current and future generations. However, against a national average of 16% urban tree canopy cover, some coastal towns and cities can be as low as 4%. We are working to rebalance the UK’s canopy cover by prioritising coastal planting projects, and Trees for Cities is delighted to be supporting Barrow Borough Council with the tree planting across neighbourhoods in the borough.”

The residential planting will be completed by the end of March 2023. The work in Barrow Park has now been completed.

Interested landowners are encouraged to contact Cumbria Woodlands to find out how they can get involved. Visit www.cumbriawoodlands.co.uk or email info@cumbriawoodlands.co.uk for more information.