The Derwent Living Forest programme is one of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s landscape-scale recovery programmes. It covers the whole of the River Derwent catchment and aims to create 30,000 hectares of woodland and wetland habitats by 2050. This will connect the National Forest in the south of the county to the soon-to-be-established Northern Forest in the north, creating north–south connectivity that will allow species to move in response to climate change, while also creating a new, diverse patchwork of habitats.

To achieve this vision, working with the diverse communities of the Derwent catchment is key—creating spaces for both nature and people. Community engagement is therefore at the heart of the project. Below are just a few examples of what we’ve been up to over the last year.

Duffield Community Orchard

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust worked closely with Duffield Parish Council to plant a new community orchard on Eyes Meadow in Duffield, a much-loved site used by the public for both sports and recreation. The area borders the River Derwent and the Millennium Meadows Nature Reserve.

The trees were planted during the 2024/25 planting season with the help of the council, local primary schools, and members of the community. Over time, the orchard will grow into a valuable community resource, providing fresh fruit for years to come. The mix of apples, pears, plums, and cherries will also provide blossom for pollinators and a seasonal display for people to enjoy.

Grindleford Community Hedge

Working with Grindleford Parish Council, we ran a trial community hedge-planting project in the Peak District village of Grindleford. The idea was to connect up green areas around the village by planting hedges in community members’ gardens and other privately owned spaces, creating a continuous chain of trees and hedgerows winding through the village.

This green corridor will allow wildlife to move, feed, and nest across the village. During the last planting season, we worked with three community members to establish hedges made up of hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, dog rose, and other species to create diverse habitats. Moving forward, we hope to expand into more gardens and green spaces, gradually building a connected network across the village.

Community tree planting 

Throughout the 2024/25 planting season, we have supported landowners across the Derwent Living Forest programme area to plant trees and create a more diverse, connected landscape. Our work has not been limited to one type of planting—we’ve helped establish hedgerows, blocks of woodland, wood pasture, designed woodlands, and orchards, all of which contribute to a richer mosaic of habitats.

This year alone, around 10,000 trees have been planted thanks to the commitment of landowners and, just as importantly, the many volunteers who picked up spades to help. These included our regular volunteers, Sheffield Hallam University students, local primary schools, and community members.

School work 

A major part of the Derwent Living Forest programme is educating and empowering communities to care for their natural spaces. This year we have worked closely with a number of schools and education settings to help them participate in ways that are meaningful to them.

Projects have included nature-education programmes, the creation of tree nurseries and, at a Buxton secondary school, the design, building, and student-led running of a small school allotment. These activities are vital to connecting students with the environment around them and showing why action for nature is both urgent and achievable.

Over the past three years, we have worked with more than 6,000 people across the catchment, planted over 30,000 trees, developed tree nurseries, and delivered specific projects with councils, landowners, charities, and many others.

The Derwent Living Forest is a long-term project, and we have many more years ahead of us. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch with the team.

Derwent Living Forest Team: dlf@derbyshirewt.co.uk