MP for Chipping Barnet, Theresa Villiers, has praised the work of a local school on planting trees and sprucing up the green spaces around their building. During a visit to Christ Church School in Byng Road in High Barnet, Theresa was shown around the school by head teacher, Mrs Print.
Her tour of the school and its grounds included the areas planted with new trees and she was able to speak to teachers and children about what they have been doing to protect nature and improve habitats for wildlife.
The visit took place on Just One Tree Day on 15th October. This is a project run by the charity, Just One Tree (JOT), which was established in 2019 by a Amanda Bronkhorst, who describes herself as “a Mum from High Barnet concerned about climate change”.
In just 2 years, JOT have planted over 1.4 million trees thanks to partnerships with schools and businesses. The 2019 and 2020 Just One Tree Days led to the planting of over 150,000 trees, restoring an area the size of 39 football pitches. The programme has also enabled JOT to bring environmental education into the classrooms of 150,000 children around the world. This year they have schools across four continents taking part.
Speaking during her visit to the school, Theresa Villiers said “It is vital that we have a massive increase in tree planting if we are to have a hope of getting to net zero carbon emissions. Trees also provide crucial benefits for air quality and biodiversity. It was inspiring to hear of the enthusiasm of everyone at Christ Church School who has been involved in this tree planting project.”
“It was great to see outdoor education taking place in the small woodland area next to the school. I helped secure a Conservative manifesto commitment to increase tree planting rates to 30,000 hectares a year and it is brilliant to see a local school playing a part in delivering that. Thank you to Mrs Print, her staff and the pupils of Christ Church for playing their efforts to protect our environment through tree planting.”
This is the second time Christ Church have taken part in Just One Tree day (in this is the 3rd year of the event). Since getting involved, Christ Church have planted 168 trees, absorbing 51.74 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. This year they have been growing the size of their forest and starting up an orchard with new fruit trees.
