A Sheffield event that raises awareness of the city’s nature is set to take place this weekend.
Sheffield Tree Fayre will be held in the Botanical Gardens on Saturday and will feature a variety of tree-related activities which includes forest school and indoor crafts, adult wood craft and several other fun activities.
The free event will run from 10am to 4pm.
There is a line-up of tree-themed talks featuring speakers from Sheffield and the UK, one of these being Rachael Smith from Kids Plant Trees, who is giving a talk called ‘Girls in the Wood’.
She said: “It’s about why our young daughters need nature, and basically, it’s for the emotional and physical benefits that nature gives them, and at the moment, girls get an inequitable access to nature.”
Two different tree walks will be on offer – one being a self-guided tree trail from the Friends of Botanical Gardens Sheffield. To start this walk, look out for the QR code signs around the gardens. Fran Halsall of Sheffield Woodland Connections will also provide guided tree walks.
These walks will last up to 90 minutes and begin at 10am, 12pm and 2.30pm.
Dr Laura Alston, Education and Engagement Officer at the Botanical Gardens, said: “Trees are incredibly special and important. I think it’s really important that people understand their environment and look after their environment.
”We are lucky to have places like the botanical gardens and the park sites that we do in Sheffield that are full of beautiful trees that help with our air quality, they also help with making people feel good, so not just climate but things like floods and all sorts of things trees are brilliant.”
Sheffield City Council’s Forestry team will be hosting the event in partnership with the Woodland’s Trust along with other organisations.
The Friends of Sheffield Botanical Gardens and Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust also support the event.
Sarah Shorley, Urban Projects Officer at Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, said: “We are delighted to support this year’s Sheffield Tree Fayre, the event has been funded through the WT Emergency Tree Funding awarded to the city in 2021.
”The event is being held to coincide with the National Urban Tree Festival, it brings together the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership with Sheffield’s community forestry team to celebrate the entire urban forest in Sheffield – including the city’s street trees, parks and woodlands.”
All activities will be at the Thompson Road entrance side of the Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Booking in advance for this free event is optional at: https://sheffieldtreefayre2022.eventbrite.com.