Communities across Cumbria will benefit from the creation of new woodland, following our record tree planting season!

Tree planting takes place between November and March every year and last season, over 87ha of woodland was planted within the Raise: Cumbria Community Forest boundaries – that’s equivalent to the area of Buttermere!

Earlier this month, Raise Cumbria’s James and Gary attended the launch event of Forests with Impact at HMP Haverigg in Cumbria.

As national partners, we are proud to support Forests with Impact. This award-winning social enterprise has created a commercial tree nursery at the prison to support prisoner rehabilitation, create a pathway to employment upon release, and fight against climate change.

National Tree Week, which runs from 23 November to 1 December, is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter planting season.

Raise: Cumbria Community Forest were delighted to host an event at Park House Farm in Torpenhow last week.

Raise Cumbria attended the England’s Community Forests’ 2024 conference in Bristol last week, hosted by our colleagues at the Forest of Avon Trust.

We loved visiting Park House Farm near Cockermouth recently, where we met with the Raise Partnership Group and had the opportunity to show them the project we co-designed and planted with farmers Jen and Mark Lee.

Last week, Raise: Cumbria Community Forest took part in the 2024 Youth Climate Summit at The Whitehaven Academy.

Raise: Cumbria Community Forest has been working with Electricity North West to plant more than 11,000 trees on their land at Sandsfield Road and Burgh Road in Carlisle.

Raise: Cumbria Community Forest have supported West Cumbrian secondary school, The Whitehaven Academy, to develop its vast outdoor spaces in a project that will enhance pupils’ health, well-being and learning outcomes for decades to come.