200 trees for 200 years: celebrating our bicentenary with a greener future
04 Dec 2024
As part of the university’s bicentenary celebrations, we are delighted to announce our exciting initiative to plant 200 trees in recognition of our 200-year legacy as part of our new partnership with City of Trees.
City of Trees is an independent charity that plant, look after, and promote a culture of trees across Greater Manchester. Aligned closely with the University’s values and social responsibility agenda, both City of Trees and The University of Manchester are passionate about making the region even better, one tree at a time.
Getting involved
To kick things off, last Friday, 29 November, we invited members of our University community to come along and dig in at one of the planting sites - Peter Pan Park Playing Fields in Audenshaw, Manchester. Together with the City of Trees team, members of our Student Union, Manchester Museum Environmental Sustainability, Social Responsibility, International and our Senior Leadership team spent a rewarding day planting trees and doing green maintenance. All with the aim of helping to create a greener space for nature to thrive and the local community to enjoy.
Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said ‘It’s fantastic for the University to be actively supporting such an important green initiative, whilst creating a lasting legacy for our bicentenary. The oak trees we planted today should see at least another bicentenary! I hope it also acts as inspiration for more of our staff and students to make the most of the volunteering opportunities at the University’
Carl Austin-Behan, Trustee of City of Trees and Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, added ‘It's great to see days like today come to fruition. The time that's put in by volunteers can make a massive difference, but it also has benefits for the individuals. It’s not just about coming to plant a tree, it's about getting out, having time with each other, having conversations that you wouldn't normally have and all at the same time, making a difference to the planet’
Benefits of tree planting
Trees play a vital role in addressing the climate emergency acting as multifunctional, living tools that help make our urban areas more resilient to the challenges of a rapidly changing environment by;
- Improving air quality
- Cooling our cities and towns
- Locking up carbon
- Boosting our wellbeing
- Creating habitats for wildlife
- Helping to alleviate flood risk
Volunteer your time
If you’re feeling inspired to get involved, City of Trees have got plenty of fantastic volunteering opportunities through their ‘Citizen Forester’ programme, which provides volunteers with the opportunity to enhance their green skills, boost health and wellbeing, and tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency.
All University staff can now request up to three days of paid leave (pro-rata) per holiday year (October to September) to participate in a volunteering activity of their choosing. We do ask that employees consider how their choice of activity complements our Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement plan and that our Academic colleagues also give consideration as to whether their activity could be linked to their core teaching and/or research.
How to apply
Colleagues will need to complete an Employee Volunteering Application Form and seek approval from their line manager for the requested time off.