Nether Edge and Sharrow Sustainable Transformation (NESST), a local environmental group based in South West Sheffield, has secured an offer of match funding from Aviva’s Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund.

During a six-week window, for every £10 donated to the NESST initiative, Aviva will donate a further £20, up to a maximum of £5000. After the first £5,000, Aviva will continue to donate a further £10 for every £10 donated to NESST.

More than £2,500 has already been pledged to the Greening the Grey Streets project so far. It aims to plant trees on streets that currently have none, specifically in the Highfield and Lowfield areas.

Paul Selby has praised Sheffield Council and Amey for their involvement with the project

The total cost of planting one street tree is £960, which includes the tree, tree guard, digging the pit and planting, maintenance for 100 years and watering for three years.

It builds on NESST planting 135 extra street trees in the last three years – with more than three-quarters on roads which previously didn’t have trees.

Paul Selby, the Chairperson of NESST, said: “None of our efforts to plant 135 street trees would have been possible without the collaborative support of Sheffield City Council or Amey. After the conflict with them about street trees between 2013 and 2018, I became a Sheffield Street Tree Partnership Group member.

"We worked together between 2020 and 2022 to trial a new process that allows residents and community groups to fund additional street trees, and that has led to a 6.1 per cent increase in the street tree canopy cover in the NESST area of Sheffield.”

This has resulted in Sheffield becoming part of the Trees for Streets initiative, launched in May 2023.

Mr Selby was among those who successfully campaigned against the city council’s tree-felling programme which sought to axe half of the city’s 35,000 street trees as part of a highways contract with Amey. The council recently issued a grovelling apology for their conduct during the dispute.

Mr Selby said: “I was one of the biggest critics of Sheffield City Council during the street tree conflict. However, all credit to them and Amey for working in partnership to trial, problem solve, and finalise this city-wide scheme.

“It just shows that good can come out of the bad, and all involved in making this happen should be praised.

“I’m particularly proud of the fact that we’ve been able to support the planting of so many street trees on roads without street trees previously.

"That means many more residents in Sheffield will be able to benefit from the academically proven ecosystem, biodiversity and mental health positives that street trees provide.”

To donate, visit https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/greening-the-grey-streets

'Good can come out of bad': Project seeks to plant new trees in deprived parts of Sheffield in wake of felling scandal