Blog - Community activities

Trees are of course at the core of everything we do but we know how much benefit being outside and around trees can offer our local community, so we run a wealth of programmes at Westonbirt Arboretum encouraging visitors to connect with trees.

Westonbirt Arboretum has recently produced a book based on their experiences of running wellbeing and community engagement activities. Karen Price, Community Youth Officer, explains more.

In 2012, we received some wonderful news – that we had been awarded £1.9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help us embark on a project to improve Westonbirt, the National Arboretum.

Wild Westonbirt (Westonbirt’s youth group) were tasked with thinking of a way to celebrate the current phase of the HLF coming to an end.

Team WB have been busy this month learning how to make wooden roof tiles, known as shingles, for a proposed sculpture to celebrate the culmination of the 4 year HLF Community Engagement Programme.

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood The mouse saw….a group of teenagers unsure of where they stood...

The community team welcome a wide range of groups from the surrounding area to come and learn about our tree collection through exploration and discovery.

How young people have helped shape the HLF Community Youth activities at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum...

Works have now been completed on our Adult Changing Room/Changing Place space for visitors in the main toilet block by the Great Oak Hall.

The role of the Community Inclusion team is to enable a greater number of people from under-represented groups to experience the arboretum and to connect with trees.

Today I spent time out in the arboretum with one of our community officers, Claire Goulding, as she hosted a visit by Yercombe Lodge, a day centre and residential home for the elderly and people with disabilities.

The role of the Community Inclusion team is to enable a greater number of people from under-represented groups to experience the arboretum and to connect with trees.

The role of the Community Inclusion team is to enable a greater number of people from under-represented groups to experience the arboretum and to connect with trees.

The role of the Community Inclusion team is to enable a greater number of people from under-represented groups to experience the arboretum and to connect with trees.

The role of the Community Inclusion team is to enable a greater number of people from under-represented groups to experience the arboretum and to connect with trees.