City of London Corporation staff, Friends of West Ham Park and local volunteers will plant 1,250 shrubs and 38 trees at West Ham Park during national Tree Week (24 November - 2 December).

The trees, which will be a mix of Willow, European Hornbeam and Hazel, will be planted as part of the park’s South Meadow Improvement Project, after a £15,000 grant from the Mayor of London’s Greener City Fund Community in July.

With roots going back to 1975, National Tree Week celebrates the start of the winter tree planting season and is the UK’s longest running celebration of its kind.

Run by the Tree Council, the campaign encourages people across the country to get their hands dirty and together plant around a million trees.

The City of London Corporation has owned and managed West Ham Park, the largest park in the London Borough of Newham, since 1874. It invests over £1m a year in the Grade II listed site.

Graeme Smith, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s West Ham Park Committee, said:

“These new trees will enhance the park’s woodland habitat for wildlife and improve the biodiversity of the site.

“It’s wonderful to see our staff, the local community and volunteers working towards a greener landscape.

“Together we are playing an important role in the lives of all our visitors and making a cleaner, more sustainable city.”

During National Tree Week the City Corporation is recommending visitors to follow the West Ham Park Tree Trail. The public can discover the beauty of the park’s National Collection of Liquidambar trees which can be found in the seven-acre Ornamental Gardens. West Ham Park is also home to the evergreen conifer Monkey Puzzle Tree and one of the oldest ginkgo biloba trees in the country.

The City of London Corporation protects and conserves 18 major green spaces in London and south east England – including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest - and over 200 smaller ones in the Square Mile.

It manages important wildlife habitats including ancient woodlands, Sites of Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves. They are protected from being built on by special legislation.

The City of London Corporation funds green spaces across London. Its green spaces, most of which are charitable trusts, are run at little or no cost to the communities that they serve. They are funded by over £29million a year from the City Corporation, together with donations, sponsorship, grants and income generated on site.

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Laura Simpson, Media Officer, City of London Corporation

T: 020 7332 3654

M: 07738862229

E: Laura.Simpson@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

Shrubs being planted:

160 Cornus sanguinea

150 Euonymus europaeus

150 Rhamnus cathartica

90 Rhamnus frangula

80 Ribes alpinum

80 Ribes sang. 'King Edward VII'

50 Sambucus nigra

150 Viburnum lantana

340 Viburnum opulus

The 18 green spaces run by the City of London Corporation are:

1. Hampstead Heath

2. Highgate Wood

3. Golders Hill Park

4. Queen’s Park

5. Epping Forest

6. Wanstead Flats

7. Wanstead Park

8. City of London Cemetery and Crematorium

9. West Ham Park

10. Burnham Beeches

11. Stoke Common

12. Ashtead Common

13. Coulsdon Common

14. Farthing Downs

15. Kenley Common

16. Riddlesdown

17. Spring Park

18. West Wickham Common