A team of volunteer employees from Jersey Electricity recently returned to Bouley Bay with the National Trust for Jersey to continue planting trees on land donated to the Trust by Rupert and Anna Bradstock.
As part of Jersey Electricity’s Parish Earth Partnership 120 trees were planted at Le Don Bradstock on Bouley Bay Hill to boost biodiversity and enhance the environment. Volunteers from JE, including CEO Chris Ambler, the National Trust and Mrs Bradstock spent an afternoon planting whips that will grow into a dense woodland area creating natural corridors for local wildlife and birds.
The Parish Earth Partnership aims to encourage the community to plant trees and shrubs to enhance biodiversity and support the Island’s ambitions to reduce carbon in our environment. Jersey Electricity (JE) has committed to investing £60,000 towards the planting of trees in each parish – £5,000 per parish.
Jon Parkes, Lands Manager for the National Trust, said: “The damage caused by high winds to the Island’s trees over the past few weeks has been a sharp reminder of just how vulnerable even trees can be. With a lack of age diversity across Jersey’s trees, many being around the 70 year mark as they were planted post WWII, many are beginning to decline. We are delighted to have partnered with JE again to plant more trees to help remedy this situation. This planting programme will contribute to the area’s existing woodland cover, provide diversity in age, height and structure and help ensure that there will be succession.”
JE CEO Chris Ambler said, ‘Sustainability projects are at the heart of JE’s community and environmental activities and it was a pleasure to return to Bouley Bay to continue planting on this beautiful north coast site. JE’s Parish Earth Partnership will contribute towards boosting local biodiversity and help to sequester carbon, which is vital in our journey to reduce our Island’s emissions.
“Thank you to Mr and Mrs Bradstock for donating the land to make the Parish Earth Partnership possible in Trinity. JE is committed to working with partners to find more sites around the Island to continue the Parish Earth Partnership and we invite parishes and landowners with potential space available to get in touch.”
Trinity is the second parish to participate in JE’s Parish Earth Partnership. Almost 1,000 whips were planted in a large meadow behind St Clement Parish Church in early 2022 to launch the initiative.
Planting initially took place at the côtil in May 2022 as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy project, with the previous Lieutenant Governor Sir Stephen Dalton joining Mr and Mrs Bradstock, Trinity Constable Philip Le Sueur, the National Trust and JE to plant seven ceremonial trees as part of the nationwide initiative to enhance the environment by planting trees in the late Queen’s platinum jubilee year.
