The Sherwood Forest Trust is an active partner in ‘Miner2Major’, a landscape partnership scheme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Trust are helping deliver the Heritage Trees project within the scheme and are hosting 10 community tree planting events throughout the diverse landscape of the former Royal Hunting Forest and North Nottinghamshire coalfields. 

These planting events are focused around commemorating well-known stories in local history and celebrating the contribution that trees make to our environment and our culture. 

On Wednesday 18th October, children from the school council of Kirkby Woodhouse Primary School attended Nuncargate recreation ground to celebrate local cricket legends, Larwood and Voce. They took part in a range of activities, including tree planting, willow weaving with Alison from Lincoln Willow, and cricket playing with local cricket coach Max from Little Wickets. The children created beautiful fish out of willow, and had lots of fun whilst learning to bat, bowl, and field.  

The children planted 3 Cricket Bat Willow trees in the greenspace in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, which was nominated by the community to commemorate the local heroes. This rapidly-growing tree produces white wood which is highly sought after and makes the finest cricket bats used by professional cricketers around the world.  

The event was a great success and enjoyed by all. The children enjoyed the activities, showed incredible team work, and were proud of the trees they planted – and can’t wait to watch them grow in the years to come!