Please can you help to plant 1400 trees At St Thomas’ Primary School starting on Wednesday 25.3.26 between 09:30 hours and 15:30 hours.

The Friends of Maghull & District (FOMD) in partnership with Mersey Forest have received the trees unexpectedly early and we desperately need to plant them before the half term holidays. Anytime you can spare will be invaluable and will make a huge restorative environmental difference to the sadly depleted nature due to neighbouring housebuilding. We are hoping to plant most of the trees on Wednesday (25.3.26) but any remaining trees will be planted on Friday (27.3.26) and possibly on Saturday (28.3.26) but please check our website’s ‘events’ tab calendar www.fomd.co.uk to confirm event status.

To register please contact us ASAP either by email at admin@fomd.co.uk or by phone on 07507759813  providing the following:

• Date and times available
• Name
• Contact Details: mobile phone number, email address and postal address.

Venue & Parking.

St Thomas’ Primary School, Kenyons Lane, Lydiate, Liverpool, Merseyside. L31 0BP.

Parking: on road parking available a short walk to the school on both Liverpool Road and Lambshear Lane.

Dates and Times.

• Wednesday 25.3.26 starting 09:30 hours (main tree planting day), finishing at 15:30 hours, break 12:00 – 13:00 hours.
• Friday 27.3.26 starting 09:30 hours, finishing at 15:30 hours (or earlier if trees are planted), break 12:00 – 13:00 hours.
• Saturday 28.3.26 starting at 09:30 hours extra session just in case we have been unable to plant the trees on the previous days.

Equipment Needed.

• Essentials: Sturdy boots, garden gloves, spade and suitable clothes for the weather and refreshments.

Tasks.

• Planting small tree whips to form a wildlife friendly perimeter hedge, supported with bamboo cane and plastic guards.

Background.

Celebrating 1400 Trees for a Local School (totalling 20,000 Trees for Maghull/Lydiate) following sad loss of neighbouring nature.

The Friends of Maghull & District (FOMD) are absolutely delighted to have secured 1400 trees for St Thomas’ Primary School.

Loss of Local Nature.

Following the profound loss of the school’s neighbouring panorama of nature to housebuilding. The area has been identified as part of the local plan for considerable housing development, increasing our 26,000 population by approximately 25%, resulting in considerable green space loss. FOMD is an award-winning environmental community group who have been transforming neglected spaces and planting 18,000 trees, providing a balance to the profound loss of green space due to ‘local plan’ housing development in Maghull/Lydiate. St Thomas’ Primary School is a small school which like many others sometimes struggle to meet their environmental aspirations whilst having to resource and prioritise other needs, yet the school punches above its weight and is listed as the third best school on Merseyside. Sadly, the unbroken beautiful countryside panorama and wildlife habitat on two sides of the school perimeter have been decimated with the building of 450 homes, with upsetting responses due to the loss of wildlife habitat.

Successful Application.

FOMD made contact with the wonderfully friendly and receptive Mrs Alty (Head Teacher at St Thomas’) in 2025 and negotiated our shared aspirations for the benefit of the school, community, environment and the eco-educational needs of the children. We received fantastic support from our long-term friend at Mersey Forest (Ben Greenaway) who have provided an incredible grant for 1400 free trees, canes, tree guards, 11 large standard trees, and future maintenance costs. The planting will be undertaken by FOMD, the school and community volunteers in March 2026. With immense gratitude to Mersey Forest.

Benefits.

We will create a 275m mixed wildlife friendly hedging around the perimeter of the school and plant 11 standard trees to provide:

• Eco-educational key stage opportunities for every child in the school to plant the trees and develop environmental knowledge and values, supported by Mersey Forest. Emulating successful strategies from planting 18,000 trees over the last four years, in other schools, public parks and roads.
• Replenish some of the wildlife habitat and food that is currently being disproportionately lost.
• Reduce pollution by 60%
• Enhance climate action carbon sequestration.
• Improve health and wellness for the children, teachers and the wider community.
• Provide positivity and inspiration for others to undertake future environmental projects for the good of the environment and community. Every key stage child, teacher and family member will have the opportunity to plant trees, develop environmental knowledge and values, whilst also creating pride and inspiration. Which will be undertaken alongside FOMD community volunteers and the outreach team from Mersey Forest. The children will receive key stage pre and post information about tree planting and the wider environmental benefits. They will also excitedly develop an ecology community forestry school council and action group. The wider neighbouring community and environment will also derive multiple restorative benefits.

The mixed wildlife friendly hedging trees will comprise of:  hawthorn, rowan, blackthorn, silver birch, hazel, common oak, dogwood, wild cherry, hazel, dog rose, crab apple, holly, hazel, downy birch and goat willow.

FOMD are absolutely delighted to continue galvanising our kind and supportive community to work together to make Maghull/Lydiate a better place to live. We are overjoyed that this contribution will achieve a milestone of a culminative total of 20,000 trees planted over the last five years in multiple parks, roads and heart-warmingly in the following primary schools: Hudson (2023), St Georges (2024), St Gregory’s (2025) and now St Thomas’ (2026). Following the sad loss of hundreds of mature trees, green spaces and climate change challenges we are immensely grateful to the whole community for helping to redress the balance for generations to come.

Pictured: FOMD planting with the children of St Gregory’s Primary School 2025. The picture was chosen to be used on the front page of the 2025 national annual report for the prestigious – The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) UK 2025 annual report and who part supplied our free trees last year.

Many Thanks & Best Wishes,

FOMD

Together Making Maghull/Lydiate a Better Place to Live.

Winner of the UK 2025 BBC One Show/RHS Growing Together Community Garden Award.

Winner of the 2022 BBC Make a Difference Environmental Award.

More information at www.fomd.co.uk including: (1) Events tab for volunteering (2) Projects tab (3) FOMD News tab (4) Donations tab and much more.

Contact: admin@fomd.co.uk

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