We are pleased to be a part of this new initiative that allows subscribers to choose which information they receive from Nottingham City Council.

For those of you that might be new to us, here's a brief outline of what we do.

We attempt to work across as many of our city’s parks and natural spaces as possible, concentrating our efforts on conservation work, environmental education, providing recreational events and involving local communities in the development of their green spaces. 

We also specialise in offering professionally led Forest Schools sessions and we work with many companies on business volunteer days allowing them to spend a very different day in the great outdoors!

We are part of the wider Parks and Open Spaces Service who will also be contributing to our regular newsletters.

We hope you will find these newsletters interesting and informative and we would love to receive any feedback and comments on how to improve them and indeed our service to you!

Thanks for signing up!

Oxygen - Without trees, we wouldn’t be able to breathe! During photosynthesis, the leaves of trees absorb Carbon Dioxide and give off Oxygen in return. Trees also improve the quality of air we breathe removing harmful pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Enough said!

Money - Street planting can increase property value by 7-15%! So having a tree outside your house will certainly benefit you financially. Not only that but according to the Woodland Trust, if every household had access to good quality green space, it could save £2.1 billion annually in health care costs. Win!

Health and wellbeing - With traffic ever increasing, the need for more trees and cleaner air is essential.  Trees in green spaces can benefit people’s mental health and wellbeing, providing a pleasant and calming environment and an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. A tree lined street certainly makes a commute to work much more pleasant!

Fun - Who never enjoyed climbing trees or playing 'conkers' or 'helicopters' when they were children, or as adults for that matter? Parks and natural spaces provide recreational areas for people to have fun and enjoy the surroundings which all helps people live healthier lifestyles.

Food - We all need to eat and we all like to save money, so why not plant fruit trees and enjoy the end product? A delectable apple here and a sweet pear there, all to be enjoyed, not to mention providing ingredients for a refreshing glass of cider, elderberry wine or sloe gin. Food for thought indeed.

Products - Trees and plants are essential in our everyday life. They provide crucial ingredients for development of medicines, timber for industry and also materials for clothes.

Flooding - As more homes have paved over front and back gardens, this has increased surface water run-off. How can trees help? Planting more trees and leaving gardens and other green spaces intact will allow rainwater to seep into the ground for trees and plants to absorb giving drains more of a chance to do their job.

Urban Heat Island Effect - Like any other city, Nottingham is full of buildings, concrete, paving stones and roads. All these hard surfaces absorb heat during the day and then release it back during the night. Trees can help us cope with this heat. Not only do they provide shade for people, but they also cool the overall temperature down through evaporation of water from leaves and soil.

Wildlife - Our ecosystem relies on wildlife to perform essential functions such as pollination, and trees and green spaces in our city provide protection and homes for nature's wildlife. Even standing and fallen dead trees are utilised by many insects which in turn support the birds and bats that feed on them, and bats and woodpeckers often set up home in dead trees. So all trees living or dead benefit wildlife which in turn benefits us! 

Noise pollution - Trees help absorb noise, a must for any busy city, especially during peak traffic times. According to the Forestry Commission, ‘trees and shrubs can reduce noise by five to ten decibels for every 30 metre width of woodland, and this reduces noise to the human ear by approximately 50%.’ So tree buffers are an excellent way of protecting our ears against city noise.

Check out our Urban Forest Strategy to see how we look after our city’s trees. www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/trees

This was all to support our bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the park to its former glory. The survey was all about finding out what you all wanted to see improved and what activities you would like to happen on the park.

Planned works will now include restoration of the historic buildings, dredging the lake, creating a new woodland walk and improving safety for pedestrians and vehicles.

Many of you also submitted great ideas for future activities which we will hope to make happen if our bid is successful.

Meanwhile preliminary work has begun on creating a useable space in the boathouse. Historically this original building was used as a joiners workshop and maintenance facility.

Ranger Steve C. has now been clearing a large section of the building that will ultimately become a space for education, volunteering and training.

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/HighfieldsPark

We are here to enhance, protect, promote and encourage biodiversity and to let you know about some of the fantastic biodiversity projects happening in the City.

One of the projects you may be interested in is our bee friendly campaign called 'Bee-Friendly Nottingham'. The project aims to get the city buzzing by improving habitats for all species of bees and to help and encourage people make their gardens, community centres, parks and everywhere else attractive to bees. We rely on bees for the pollination of many plants, including food crops, wildflowers and ornamental plants, which are essential for retaining our food supply and rich biodiversity. Recently, we have been working with all the rangers building some underground bumblebee homes in our parks and giving away some lavender plants at the Woodthorpe Grange nursery open day. We have also planted a bee-friendly garden at The Forest Recreation Ground Community Garden. Why not pop in there and see how many bees you can see buzzing around the flowers?

Check out our new website here for tips on what you can do; http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/bees

Did you know we have 13 Local Nature Reserves within the City? These sites are great places to see wildlife, get some fresh air and relax or exercise! They are all accessible by foot or public transport. Along with our partners, the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust who manage some of these sites, there are often work parties and events taking place where you can get involved with the sites. 

To find out where you nearest LNR is please visit; www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/article/21110/Find-your-local-park

We would love to hear from you if there is anything specific you would like including in our update so please e-mail us at; parksandopenspaces@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Kicking off the weekend on Saturday 5th July at 1pm is a tour of the Wetlands and Wildlife of the Jubilee Campus by the Friends of University Park.

The tour of the lakes will be led by ecologist Mark Woods and if you have never been to the campus before, you are in for a treat. The meeting point is at the Wollaton Road Car Park by the flagpole.

The tour is free and it is advised that stout footwear is worn. There are limited places so pre-booking is essential. To book call 07825 753993.

www.nottingham.ac.uk/sustainability/grounds/friendsofuniversitypark.aspx

Nearby at Lenton Abbey Park on Saturday 5th July is the annual funday which also starts at 1pm but runs until 5pm so you will have time for both!

The day is run every year by a small community group called LAFFDA (Lenton Abbey Friends and Fun Day Association).

The park is at the corner of Derby Road and Woodside Road by the Priory Island and opposite the Toby Inn. 

There will be a range of free activities including Nottingham school of Samba, Dj-ing workshops, Graffiti art, Voicebox entertainments and, for the more relaxed experience, tea and cakes in the Church Hall.

www.facebook.com/mywollatoneastandlentonabbey

This annual event is organised by the Friends of Colwick Woods, a volunteer group that was formed by local residents in April 2004. The group aim to protect, enhance and promote Colwick Woods as an important local resource for the benefit of the community and its natural habitat.

The event starts at 12pm and will include live music, archery, face painting, belly dancers and a dog show!

The no. 43 bus will take you to Greenwood Road where you can find all the action!

www.friendsofcolwickwoods.co.uk

The walk is organised by Friends of the Forest and should be of interest to all Nottingham citizens and all those wishing to learn more about local history. 

The route is planned to show the position and extent of all the land given, forever, for citizens to use for free recreation. It is fairly continuous around the middle of Nottingham, passing by, or through four parks and two park-like cemeteries. 

The walk starts at the river end of Queen's Walk next to the Toll Bridge at 2pm and finishes at the Inclosure Oak on the Forest Recreation Ground where a certificate will be given and you will have the chance to sample the splendid new café in the Forest Pavilion, run by HomeMade.

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/ForestRec#friends

Tree roots are very strong. A 4cm thick root could lift up to 2 elephants!

You can tell which way the wind normally blows in an area by looking at the base of a tree trunk. The thickest root will be on the windward side.

The Major Oak at Sherwood Forest is thought to be about 800 hundred years old!

The world’s oldest tree is thought to be a spruce found in western Sweden, scientists believe that this spruce is 9,550 years old!

And Hollow Trees …

… Well trees can continue living even after becoming hollow! The tree tends to grow thicker around where it is hollow to strengthen itself. These old trees need our protection as the value of dead and dying wood is fantastic as their complex structures support huge variety of life on Earth.

Find out more about veteran and ancient trees at: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/75035?category=551045