Mayor chooses Wandsworth primary school to plant half-millionth tree of his Mayoralty

The Mayor joined pupils at Garratt Park secondary school to plant an apple tree in the school grounds - the half-millionth to be planted during his time in office.

He also announced a further £500,000 to be awarded to London boroughs to fund more planting across the capital.

This will support boroughs in planting around 3,000 street trees this winter – and comes on top of the Mayor’s programme of donating 40,000 trees to Londoners in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV)’s ‘I Dig Trees’ campaign.  

Trees and woodlands have a critical role to play in helping tackle the climate and ecological emergencies. They help protect London from flooding and overheating, improve air quality, and provide places for wildlife to thrive.  

The Mayor, who was joined at Garratt Park School by representatives of his Young Ambassadors programme that encourages young people to play a greater role in their local communities, said: “Every Londoner should have access to trees and green spaces, but many areas of the capital that need the benefits of trees the most, have the fewest. That is why I’m investing an additional £500,000 match funding to enable boroughs to plant thousands more street trees which will make a huge difference to local communities. 

“Young people have a huge part to play in improving London’s environment, and it’s been great to meet some of my Young Ambassadors today at Garratt Park School. They are the environmentalists of the future, and together we can work to make London a greener, healthier, more liveable city for everyone.” 

Wandsworth Council Leader Simon Hogg said: “We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of London to Garratt Park School where he joined pupils in planting more trees that will not only green our borough but also help improve the air we breathe. Wandsworth Council has well laid out plans to deliver thousands more street trees as part of our tree and woodland strategy which has identified 2,500 locations for new trees to be planted in the coming years.

“The council looks after nearly 60,000 trees in Wandsworth including 15,000 in residential streets and we are committed to working with the Mayor to deliver more urban greening, to improving biodiversity and protecting and enhancing our precious green spaces.”

And Sharon Gladstone, Headteacher of Garratt Park School, said: “This programme not only contributes to environmental sustainability, which is one of our school’s key priorities this year, but also fosters a sense of community engagement and education.

“By involving students in tree planting activities, the school not only enhances the local eco-system but also provides valuable learning and connection to nature. The act of planting a tree is also a symbolic gesture of growth, resilience, and collaboration: exactly the values reflected in our school logo.”