Limington in Leaf
Enhancing biodiversity in Yeovilton and District Civil Parish
What
A multi-phase biodiversity-enhancement project involving Yeovilton & District Parish (and neighbouring Ashington). Phase 1 - now complete - saw 437 trees planted across Ashington, Draycott and Limington, with hundreds more trees planted throughout 2024. We are now preparing for the next planting season over the winter of 2025/26.
To keep up to date with our progress, sign up to our email updates here.
When
We will shortly begin engaging with residents and landowners for the 2025/26 planting season. Please sign up to email updates and look out for our messages across local social media platforms and newsletters.
If you're interested in planting any number of trees over the course of the next year, please send us a message - we'd love to hear from you!
Why
There is an urgent need to plant more trees locally in view of the climate emergency, due to their known ability to capture carbon and cool the environment as well as providing habitats for wildlife (and therefore restoring some biodiversity). In 2023 we also participated as a community in the Queen’s Green Canopy, with the new planting at Manor Cottage and Draycott Farm serving as a memorial for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Limington has far fewer orchards in particular than it did 100 years ago, which is notable when looking at the OS 1st Edition map of Limington (1880s) which you can see below.
Planting in the parish - specifically around the River Yeo - can also really help to naturally prevent flooding, both locally and downstream (on the Somerset Levels). Any planting we do on the banks of the river will be planned in partnership with the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) who have already carried out work in the area.
How
We are currently in the process of identifying various funding sources and available areas of land for the winter of 2025/26, in which planting will involve volunteers from the parish (and any others who'd like to get involved) - you can sign up to our email updates here and we'll be in touch about future planting dates.
There is an enormous level of grant funding available for projects like ours - so Phase 1 happened entirely at no cost to the community.
Here is how you can help:
Still curious? You can find our contact details, blog, frequently asked questions, and information about the Limington in Leaf team by using the links at the top of the page.
And, if you're feeling really helpful, please do share the link of the website (https://limingtoninleaf.uk/) with friends and family to raise awareness of this community project. Thank you for your support!