Queen Elizabeth II community woodland to be planted in Dinnington

The area off Athorpe Road in Dinnington will be planted thanks to funding from the Woodland Trust’s Grow Back Greener programme.

The forest — supported by South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership — will include pathways and space for sledging in winter.

Cllr Dave Sheppard, cabinet member for social inclusion at Rotherham Council, said: “Climate change is an important issue and as a council we are taking steps to respond to the climate emergency.

“The Queen Elizabeth II Community Woodland forms part of our efforts to create a greener and cleaner local environment for residents.

“There will be lots of opportunities for people to get involved in this exciting project, including a planting day, which is set to take place later this month.”

Work to prepare the former grazing land has included a litter pick by Laughton All Saints’ Primary School and a community planting day last weekend.

Rotherham Council has a target of planting 10,500 trees a year for a decade to help towards reaching net zero by 2030. The target was exceeded last year, with 22,139 new trees introduced.

Matt North, programme manager at the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership, said: “We work with public and private landowners to develop and fund woodland creation that’s of benefit for people and wildlife.

“We really enjoyed working with council officers designing a woodland that will be a home for nature that the public can enjoy.

“It’s fantastic to see the local community being able to take part in helping create and care for this significant project in Dinnington.”