Abbeydale Street Trees have claimed they hope their project will allow people to “reimagine the way we look at streets”.
The community group, based in Sheffield, planted their first three trees on Abbeydale Road last week and are now hoping to spark a rethink of the way people view streets.
Campaigner and volunteer Joel Gilbert said: “It could be a blueprint for other places.
“We are starting off with street trees, but hopefully it’s all about reimagining the way we look at streets, away from being car focused to being more people and nature focused. It should be able to be replicated in other places.”
The group have been campaigning for over a year for trees to be planted on Abbeydale Road, a street which homed schools, shops, and businesses but not a single tree.
As a result, it has emerged as one of Sheffield’s air pollution hotspots and the group banded together to tackle the issue.
Mr Gilbert said: “We want to see it as a starting point.
“What we really want is for Abbeydale Road to stop being just a place people pass through, but a place people visit.”
Their wish for boosted biodiversity and less air pollution has been shared by the local community, who have rallied around the project and shown support.
Mr Gilbert said: “It was just three trees, but people were stopping, chatting, helping, picking up litter with us, someone helped dig a hole with a pickaxe.
“It was a really nice feeling.”
Volunteers work to plant the trees on Abbeydale Road
Despite only recently putting their first three trees in the ground, the group are already developing more plans to make Abbeydale greener.
A native hedgerow and 20 hornbeams will soon be joining the area, and the group are also hoping to get more people involved.
Mr Gilbert said: “We want to get people involved in coming up with ideas for fundraising, but also to find out what they want to see in this area, and what their ideal vision is.”
The group have raised nearly £6,000, and you can donate to their campaign via the link here.