News
Creating a home for the first community growing project in the Peak District
- Published:
- 04 December 2025
Rangers and volunteers have built raised beds to create a growing space in what will become the first home for a community growing project in the Peak District
Building raised beds to start the project
The hard-working group built raised beds and paths to create a new growing space in the already established community garden at 10 Trees in Bamford.
Volunteers will use the space to nurture some of the local trees, shrubs and plants needed to support the National Trust’s landscape restoration work in the Peak District, and other local tree planting projects.
Rangers created the timber planks which were used to make the raised beds from trees blown over in the wind. They worked with local volunteers to construct the raised beds for the small tree nursery.
This is part of a community growing project which has been made possible with thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Growing resilient trees of the future
Jayne Rotheram, Community and Participation Manager at the National Trust in the Peak District said:
“This project is about bringing people together to grow special trees and plants that will eventually grow in the landscape around them. The new planting areas look great, and it is exciting to think that we will be planting seeds that will become strong and resilient trees of the future. I am looking forward to watching the nursery flourish and working alongside this passionate group of people to nurture trees which will help to provide homes for wildlife, improve soil health, as well as protect against climate change and flooding.”
The productive team from the 10 Trees garden and the National Trust will plant acorns and alder seeds collected from picturesque cloughs and wooded slopes in the High Peak to grow in the newly created nursery. These seeds will have the genetic blue-print needed to be well matched to the weather and ground conditions of the Peak District landscape, giving them more chance of growing into healthy trees.
Building stronger links with nature
Jane Campbell, Community Garden Lead, at 10 Trees said:
“The raised beds we’ve built are a fantastic addition to the garden and a brilliant start to the tree nursery here. We want to grow trees to regenerate the local landscape and to practically resource a much bigger community of people to grow and care for them. Working with the National Trust on this project is one way for us to link up with people who are already growing and planting. We hope this is just the start of what will become a bigger community of people to care for trees in the area.”
Andrew Bowman, a local volunteer explained:
"I'm looking forward to helping to grow trees and shrubs from local seed for planting back into parts of the High Peak moorland that used to be wooded. It's a brilliant opportunity to develop a greater sense of identity with the local landscape and build stronger links with nature."
Get involved and find out more
To volunteer with the growing project at 10 Trees in Bamford please email hello@10trees.co
As part of the community growing project in the Peak District, the National Trust are looking for other people and local groups who are interested in growing trees and plants in the area they live in. Find out more about the project and discover how you can get involved.