The Sherwood Forest Trust is delighted to be partnering with SC Johnson to launch our new community campaign, Care for Your Patch of Sherwood. Their support is helping us bring people together across Nottinghamshire to reconnect with the wide, ancient landscape of Sherwood and take hands-on action for its recovery.
Sherwood Forest is famous across the world for its ancient oaks and legendary heritage, yet much of this once-continuous landscape now survives as scattered fragments stretching across most of Nottinghamshire. Many local people feel far removed from the woodland they grew up hearing about. This project aims to change that by giving communities the tools, skills, and confidence to look after the green spaces on their doorstep.
With SC Johnson’s sponsorship, we’ll be working with at least 20 community groups, supporting over 200 local residents to plant and care for native trees and shrubs grown in our community tree nursery, the Sherwood Seedbank. These efforts will boost biodiversity, support carbon capture, and create healthier, more welcoming places for people and wildlife alike.
As well as practical action, the project will offer education and hands-on learning. We will be hosting events at the Sherwood Seedbank, including a celebratory event on Wednesday 14th January 2026, which will bring participants together for guided tours and workshops. This aims to educate participants about how to care for the trees and shrubs they will be planting, as well as seed collecting, tree propagation, biodiversity, and our living history of Sherwood Forest. Most importantly, it will educate people about the value of the right tree, in the right place.
The campaign will launch as part of Sherwood Forest Day, inviting groups, parishes, and schools to adopt “their patch of Sherwood.” Stories, photos, and mapped planting locations will be shared on an interactive online hub, helping everyone see the growing, county-wide impact.
The celebration continues into the Sherwood Forest Woodland Festival 2026, Nottinghamshire’s only woodland festival and the largest of its kind in the East Midlands. Here, communities will have the chance to showcase their hard work, learn traditional woodland skills, and celebrate Sherwood Forest’s wider story.
By empowering residents to notice, nurture, and enjoy the richness of their local woodland, the project aims to strengthens community pride, improve wellbeing, and lays out the groundwork for long-term stewardship. It’s a partnership that supports a greener Nottinghamshire today and builds a legacy for generations to come.
We’re truly grateful to SC Johnson for standing alongside us in this work in helping local people care for the landscape that has shaped Nottinghamshire for centuries.
