Elemore Park - a former municipal golf course in Sunderland - is being transformed into a new country park and wildlife area, complete with community-led facilities including a café and garden centre.

Students from schools across Sunderland helped plant 420 new trees on the site, which were donated by the Woodland Trust as part of the 'Queen's Green Canopy' initiative to create a legacy in honour of The Queen's platinum jubilee.

The tree planting in Elemore Park is one of the first projects to come to fruition as part of the region's participation in the newly formed North East Community Forest (NECF), which encompasses the whole of Sunderland as well as the rest of Tyne & Wear and much of County Durham.

Almost 80,000 trees have been planted across the North East in five months to help tackle the climate crisis, wildlife loss and bring people closer to nature. A total of 62.16 hectares of land were covered by the North East Community Forest during the 2021/22 planting season - well exceeding the initial target of 25ha.

The 79,503 new trees, 16 hectares of open space and 3,215 linear metres of hedgerows will capture 19,282 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It is part of the North East Community Forest's long-term goal to increase canopy cover across Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and parts of County Durham by 2050. 

When fully planted, the trees, woodlands and hedgerows are expected to capture 155,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the emissions from the energy needs of 30,000 homes in a year.  

Once complete, the 'Elemore Green Space and Social Enterprise Development' - led by the Elemore Park project - will be home to social enterprises developing training opportunities, including a café and a garden centre, a visitor and exhibition centre highlighting the local area history, together with wildlife and woodland for people to enjoy.

Sunderland City Council is one of hundreds of North East organisations helping the North East reach its net zero targets and make a difference on a global scale.

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