Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022-2023 - Flipbook - Page 5
JANUARY 2023
Introducing new TCV
Chair Jon Towler
We announced Jon
Towler as our new Chair
and wished departing
Chair, Tony Crook, a huge
thank you and farewell.
TCV benefitted greatly
from Tony’s guidance and
experience during his
tenure from 2018 to 2022.
OCTOBER
Making London a greener city
We gave away over 30,000 free trees to London and its communities
as part of Trees for London and our new partnership with the Mayor
of London. The Mayor’s programme aims to plant tens of thousands
of new trees over the next two years to make London a greener city
where everyone has access to healthy outdoor space. We asked
community groups and schools to get involved by applying for
free tree planter packs for local green spaces, housing estates and
playgrounds.
The tree packs contained a mixture of UK species, specially chosen
by us to complement London’s native plant and animal life. Over the
long term, these trees will create shade and shelter, help to cool our
heating capital city, and help protect from flooding.
Jon brings a wealth of
experience, vision and
passion to the role as Chair,
where he will enhance and
expand on the muchneeded work TCV already provides.
Jon has had a successful private sector career and supported the
public sector in various Chair roles. For a number of years, Jon has
been a strong advocate of the need for public bodies and third sector
organisations to work together in an integrated manner and he is
therefore passionate, in particular, about TCV’s work with people and
communities.
FEBRUARY 2023
Citizen Science in Hedgehog Friendly Schools
HogWatch is TCV Scotland’s hedgehog conservation project funded
by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society. It aims to create more
hedgehog-friendly landscapes and help us understand more about
this beloved declining species through Citizen Science.
Throughout 2022, as part of our Hedgehog Friendly Schools initiative,
we worked with over 250 primary school children learning about
ways to help hedgehogs, as well as creating new habitat solutions by
planting hedgerows and making hedgehog houses at their schools.
Citizen Science helps us to understand our environments and expand
our scientific knowledge, and projects like HogWatch give people
the chance to get involved with Citizen Science within their own
community and green spaces.
NOVEMBER
Award win for multiple outcome project
TCV was a key partner in a crucial tree planting project with
Nottinghamshire Healthcare and the Probation Service, which led to
Nottinghamshire Healthcare winning the NHS Forest award for ‘The
most NHS Forest trees planted in 2021-22’.
We were able to secure and plant an incredible 4,120 trees for this
project, planted by people on probation on Rampton NHS Hospital
land. This not only provided meaningful occupational work for
the people on probabtion alongside learning some additional life
skills, but also had a significant environmental benefit for the local
community. The forest will support an array of wildlife as the trees
establish as well as reducing flood risks for the area.
DECEMBER
30 Years of Skelton Grange
Skelton Grange in Leeds is
one of TCV’s flagship, longestrunning sites, offering a wide
range of activities for the
7,000 adults and children
who visit each year. In 2022,
we celebrated an impressive
30 years of helping the local
community, including over
100,000 young people and hundreds of Volunteer Officers
aided into employment or further training.
To celebrate the centre’s 30th birthday, we were joined by 120 people
at a stakeholder event. Partner organisations, including long-term
supporter National Grid, and project supporters and volunteers, past
and present, came to remember the good times and plan for projects
and events for many years to come.
MARCH 2023
Inspiring partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
We formed an exciting tree planting partnership with youth charity
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) as a legacy of The Queen’s
Green Canopy. Now an approved activity provider for DofE, TCV is
supporting Gold DofE participants as they undertake a green skills or
tree planting project for at least 12 months. This includes mentoring
and guidance on fundraising, planning, planting, and aftercare.
This will enable young people to develop skills including people
management, communication and planning, and to flourish and grow
in confidence.
