1 May 2022 – During the 2021/22 planting season the Mersey Forest had the pleasure of working with Wild Rumpus, a not-for-profit arts organisation producing large-scale events and festivals. The team has supported them to plant trees on their site, based at Rode Hall in Cheshire East.
The tree planting day was no normal affair though, as volunteers and performers from The Promise Opera team worked alongside each other to both plant the trees and sing together in the beautiful surroundings of the Rode Hall estate. With the Mersey Forest’s woodland advisor, Dave, even joining in!
The project came about as Wild Rumpus are working closely with Handpick Productions, the team who are developing ‘The Promise’, a new outdoor opera for families which will be performed at locations across the country next year.
The Promise is a much-loved children’s story, about a young girl surviving in a hard city, where nothing grows and no one ever smiles. One night, she meets a woman and makes her a strange promise – one that involves her planting an acorn. Slowly colour, warmth and music return to the world, a forest grows and a community is forged.
Hayley, Partnership Manager for Wild Rumpus, said: “Connection to nature is at the heart of all our work at Wild Rumpus. We were thrilled to be able to partner with both The Mersey Forest and The Promise Opera team to plant trees and grow the existing woodland area of our site.
“Not only will the trees enhance biodiversity and be appreciated by the many organisations and individuals who use the site for project development and performance, but it was an opportunity to learn about the planting process and help develop The Promise Opera’s wonderful plans for community planting events and collaborations across the country.”
In total 52 trees (0.04 hectares) were planted across the site with 20 volunteers helping on the day.
Find out more about The Promise Opera and Wild Rumpus.
“We’ll hopefully use this project as the basis for more community planting collaborations across the country”
Wild Rumpus
Project impact
Public access and management:
Visitors attending the Wild Rumpus site at Rode Hall will have ongoing access to the area.
Enhancing wildlife:
The mixed native broadleaf trees selected for this site will add to the already well established woodland on the estate, providing further areas for local wildlife to be supported.
Engagement, health and wellbeing:
20 volunteers helped with the planting and engaged in the group singing activity. Further groups that use the site will benefit from the new woodland as it establishes.
