Community Projects
In addition to the school projects, we have been organising community projects in public spaces given to us by local authorities. These are open to anyone to join once a month for a couple of hours that involve watering, planting and tending of trees.
Our volunteers are currently planting and maintaining young woodland trees at Adur Recreation Ground BN43 , Middle Road Rec BN43 and Southwick Rec BN42. Tree varieties include field maple, wild cherry, oak, silver birch and willow. They have a constant battle to survive against encroaching grass and weeds, lack of rain and pests, and need support to get established. We welcome volunteers to join us once a month at these sites.
People love these events. They are an opportunity to give back to the environment on a weekend with family and friends. There is definitely something special about planting your own tree in a public site and being able to look after it and watch it grow over the years.
Upcoming Sapling Maintenance Events
Adur District 2026
Please note:
Photographs may be taken at this event . Please tell us if you prefer not to be photographed or included in our social media campaigns about these events.
June
Saturday 6th
10am – Adur Rec
Monday 8th
7pm – Middle Road Rec
Sunday 21st
10am – Southwick Rec
Saturday 27th
10am – Watering Lancing Manor Gardens
Tasks
Watering, weeding & strimmer may be needed
July
Saturday 4th
10am – Adur Rec
Monday 13th
7pm – Southwick Rec
Tuesday 14th
10am – Lancing Manor Gardens
Sunday 19th
12 – 2pm SOCIAL! To be held at Lancing Manor Gardens
Friday 24th July
7pm – Lancing Manor Gardens
Saturday 25th
10am – Middle Road Rec
Tasks
Watering, weeding & strimmer may be needed
August
Saturday 1st
10am – Adur Rec
Monday 10th
7pm – Middle Road Rec
Sunday 16th 9.30am – Cromleigh Rd Rec , Southwick
Saturday 22nd
10am – Watering Lancing Manor Gardens
September
Sat 5th
10am – Middle Road Rec
Sunday 20th
12-5pm – SOCIAL! at Brighton Permaculture Trust’s Apple Harvest Day! https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/apple-harvest-day/
Saturday 26th
10.30am – Adur Rec
October
Saturday 3rd
10am – Soutwick Rec
November
Saturday 7th
10am – Adur Rec
Sunday 15th
10am – Middle Road Rec
December
Saturday 5th
1pm – INDOOR SOCIAL
(no other sessions)
Meeting points for all events:
Adur Recreation Ground: Brighton Rd, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 5LT – Meet in the Car Park
Southwick Recreation Ground:
Croft Ave, Southwick, Brighton BN42 4AB –
Meet outside Southwick Leisure Centre Main Entrance
Middle Road Recreation Ground: Middle Rd, Kingsland Cl, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 6NQ
Meet behind the playground
Lancing Manor Gardens: Manor Rd, Lancing BN15 . Meet outside the east entrance to Lancing Manor Leisure Centre
Important Notes:
Weed Free Zone – Ideally, this should be around 100cm diameter around the base. Keep grass away from the root area, this reduces competition for water. Ensure enough mulch covers this area to suppress the grass and weeds.
Drought Conditions – Increase Watering to 2 – 3 Times per week. Ensure this is in as early morning as possible so less water is lost to evaporation.
Diseases – Watch for Mildew on Oak trees, Rust on Birch trees, Blackfly on Wild Cherry, Scab on Rowan. Organic alternatives to pesticides are available from Garden Organic – https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/
Grass Cutting – Any grass near the base of a tree should not be cut with a strimmer. Cutting through the bark at the base in this way will seriously stunt the growth of the tree or kill it. Strimmer guards can be used but these may break over time.
