Woodland clean up
Published
Monday 24 March, 2025
Updated
Monday 24 March, 2025
You can help clear thousands of tree guards and help maintain a community woodland in Eastchurch as part of this year’s Great British Spring Clean.
Swale Borough Council, working with volunteers and a local business, has organised a community volunteer day, on 26 March, to help collect and remove tree covers from Kingsborough Manor Community Woodland.
Tens of thousands of young trees - whips - that were planted with protective covers alongside a development in Eastchurch, on the Isle of Sheppey, have grown into 13 hectares of beautiful community woodland.
However, these trees have now outgrown their guards, which kept them safe from the elements, and are falling from their trunks and need to be collected.
Local company, CDDL Recycling, is providing the tonne bags needed to collect the guards and have offered to remove and recycle the covers for free - using technology that makes their recycling possible.
This partnership, and the help of the volunteers, has led to over 10,000 covers already being cleared from Kingsborough Manor Community Woodland, as part of the council’s efforts to maintain these important green spaces.
This follows the council’s latest community volunteer day last week where volunteers, and CDDL Recycling, helped clear 11 tonne bags of guards from the Thistle Hill Community Woodland.
Volunteers are being asked to meet at the car park on 26 March at 9am on Plough Rd, ME12 4ST, bring gloves and dress for the weather.
The volunteer day is taking place during Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean - 21 March to 6 April - where millions of people around the country work together to litter pick and take other environmental action.
As part of this, the council is hosting a litter pick volunteer day on Wednesday 2 April from 10 am to 1pm at the Kemsley Recreation Ground, Grovehurst Avenue, Sittingbourne ME10 2TB.
If you would like to take part, please email the council at environmentalprojects@swale.gov.uk so there will be enough equipment for everyone.
The council is also hosting a beach litter pick on Friday 4 April from 9am to 11am at Garrison Pont beach, Sheerness.
These events are subject to cancellations due to poor weather so keep an eye on Swale Borough Council’s social media for updates.
You can find more information and the council’s upcoming events here.
