17 November 2022
A tree-riffic way to thank local food and drink producers
The first of thousands of new trees has been planted to celebrate and highlight the value of local food and drink producers across the south of England.
Southern Co-op is marking the 15th anniversary of its Local Flavours food and drink range by partnering with the South Downs National Park to plant thousands of trees over the next few months.
It is part of the Trees for the Downs which is one strand of its nature recovery drive at the National Park. The park's ReNature campaign is looking to create new habitats where plants and animals can thrive.
The independent, regional retailer, has made a donation of more than £10,000 which will pay for over 7,000 new trees from Winchester to East Dean and Binstead to Slindon.
Matt Elliott, Southern Co-op's Retail Buying & Services Manager, who looks after the Local Flavours range, said: "A big thank you to Winchester College and its helpful volunteers who planted the first of the trees this week in the pouring rain. The Trees for the Downs campaign was launched three years ago and it's a wonderful way for us to help protect our local environments for years to come.
"We wanted a more permanent way to celebrate our Local Flavours 15th anniversary as well as a physical way of thanking our local suppliers who continue to work hard to provide communities with tasty products with significantly reduced food miles.
"The South Downs National Park is an incredible resource right on our doorstep and will bring alive the drive to be more sustainable and tackle climate change."
Southern Co-op's Local Flavours range is stocked at its Co-operative Food stores across the south and was first introduced in 2007 on the Isle of Wight. It currently includes around 2,000 products from more than 200 suppliers and supports farmers and producers by bringing the best local food and drink from across southern England to its convenience stores.
Sonia Lorenzo-Martin, who leads woodlands in the South Downs National Park, said: "So far around 22,000 trees have been planted across the National Park at over 30 different sites and we want to plant many more. Our aim is to plant 100,000 trees in total so there's still a long way to go!
"Each tree will provide a home for wildlife and help with the National Park's ambitious bid to ‘renature' the landscape, bringing benefits to both people and nature."
The trees donated by Southern Co-op will be planted between December and February next year. Locations include Winchester College - The Elizabeth Project, Matterley Estate near Winchester, Oakshott, Mill Farm Isington, Preshaw Estate in Upham, Broadwood Woodland near Petersfield, The Recreation Ground at Heatherfield Buriton, Petersfield Road in Buriton, Blacknest Fields near Alton, Goodwood Estate near Chichester, Singleton Accessibility Project - Entrance at The Leys in Singleton, Seaford College near Petworth, Eartham Estate, Barlavington Estate, Botany Bay in Duncton, Clayton Holt in Hassocks, Hollycroft in East Chiltington, Bishopstone near Newhaven, Alciston near Berwick, Wilmington, The Greensward near Eastbourne, the Recreation Ground in Gilbert Drive, East Dean.
Trees for the Downs is planting iconic species including black poplar, oak, field maple and disease-resistant elms.
The ReNature campaign is the nature recovery drive for the National Park and is aiming to create 13,000 hectares (around 21,000 new football pitches) of new habitat for wildlife over the next decade.
To find out more, visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/renature. Or to find out more about the Southern Co-op's Local Flavours range, visit https://southern.coop/what-we-do/local-flavours.