A STORE on the Stewartstown Road and a local conservation group have worked together to help restore Old Colin Wood with the planting of 200 new trees.
Farrell’s Centra on the Stewartstown Road has teamed up with the Colin Wildlife Group to work on the Old Colin Wood Restoration Project which has been going for over a year and also works alongside the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership.
The trees have been secured through a partnership between Supervalu and Centra and Trees on the Land, a cross border group who help to plant native Irish trees in every county on the island.
Supervalu and Centra announced in 2022 they would plant 50,000 native trees across the North over ten years and in 2022 planted 5,000 trees across 13 locations, with a further 5,000 planted in 17 locations this year.
Lynsey Donnelly, a volunteer and co-ordinator of the Colin Wildlife Group, said: “We have been working to restore the woodland to its natural state and improve local biodiversity.
"Our project mainly involves the physical restoration of the woodland in terms of flora and fauna, by planting new trees and removing invasive species such as Cherry Laurel, however we are also improving the pathways and raising awareness around local green spaces and the importance of looking after them. We’d like to thank Centra for its support.”
Centra Stewartstown Road manager Chris McKenna added: “At Centra, we choose to make a difference and we’re delighted to give these trees to the Colin Wildlife Group. It’s fantastic to see the volunteers working together to bring this area back to how it once was.
"It was overgrown and uncared for and now it’s becoming a space that the local community can enjoy. As well as encouraging wildlife to the woodland, these trees will also absorb carbon dioxide. We look forward to seeing the area develop over time.”
