The Wombles have joined forces with The Tree Council and pupils from Green Lane Primary & Nursery School to raise awareness of National Tree Week 2021 and inspire children and teachers nationwide to be a #ForceForNature.

Great Uncle Bulgaria spent the day at Green Lane Primary School in south-west London, planting five new orchard trees in celebration of National Tree Week with representatives from The Tree Council and pupils from Green Lane Primary School.

Running from Saturday 27 November to Sunday 5 December, National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration. Throughout the UK, people will be planting thousands of trees and hedgerows to mark the start of the winter planting season.

As green ambassadors to the UK Government’s #OneStepGreener campaign, The Wombles share with The Tree Council a nationwide mission to care for our trees and the planet’s future.

Speaking on behalf of The Wombles, Great Uncle Bulgaria, said, “It was a privilege to represent The Wombles and support pupils at Green Lane Primary School and The Tree Council to plant trees for the future.

“Be more Womble and help us protect our trees by planting a tree or hedge of your own, or by donating to The Tree Council who can plant for you through initiatives like their Orchards for Schools programme! If we can all behave like Wombles and commit to individual actions, we can make a huge difference and take the UK one step closer to becoming a greener and more sustainable place to live.”

Along with supporting National Tree Week, The Wombles recently attended COP26 where they engaged with like-minded eco-warriors and spent a morning collecting litter with a local community litter picking group.

Sara Lom, CEO of The Tree Council, said, “National Tree Week is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to come together for the love of trees and to plant for our future. We’re delighted to be celebrating today with the pupils of Green Lane Primary & Nursery School and The Wombles. Thanks to Orchards for Schools, by the end of this season, pupils at more than 2,000 schools will have planted fruit trees, learned and shared new skills, and become a Force for Nature.

“As we work together to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, it has never been more important to plant and protect our trees and it is inspiring to see the commitment and passion of young people for their planet. The Wombles play a brilliant role in championing environmental action and we’re so grateful for their support and enthusiasm for National Tree Week.”

Sally Berlemont, Headteacher of Green Lane Primary & Nursery School, added, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside The Tree Council as we begin planting our new and exciting school orchard. Not only will our Forest School provision be further enhanced, our pupils can continue in their aim of making Green Lane Primary School a more sustainable environment.

“Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the support from The Wombles in helping to plant fruit trees in our school orchard. Learning how to protect our environment for future generations is a hugely important part of our school curriculum; it is a privilege to play a role in such an inspirational project as this.”