Find out all about urban forestry in Nottingham

Unlike traditional forests, community forests are not geographically restricted to one place. Instead, they are spread out across a mix of community woodland, private woodland, on street, urban woodland, wooded habitat corridors, orchards, and hedgerows.

Could we make volunteering more like a 'social group with a purpose'? More like booking a gym session, or going on a date - more fun & more flexible. Ditto professionalising and personalising the management of how it works - book a zoom call, ask (park mangers to make something happen rather than stop it).

The over 65s do lots of the volunteering. 39% of people aged 65-74 volunteer monthly compared to 25% of the wider public - this has been largely static for 15 years. Those people are getting older in years and so far the next generation aren't going to volunteer in the same way.

I used to joke that I don’t like the word volunteering, and I have no idea what community means. But I know who ‘people’ are, they’re all around us. Those involved in volunteering or community projects often know (and maybe love) it, but for many people they’re an irrelevance. Millions of people volunteer in parks, millions also do not. If local authorities want to represent their populations, these things matter.

Anyone noticed an increase in Fairy Houses popping up at the base of trees during lockdown? Unless you’ve got small kids, they might have passed you by, but I think they’re an interesting example of people making change to their parks and growing something, which becomes a magnet and destination for others.

Most Britons live within 20 miles of where they are born and are incredibly invested in the places they live. During Covid they have explored those places, played in the woods rode their bikes on empty roads, nodded to their neighbours.

In the midst of Covid there are thousands of people out enjoying their local greenspaces, discovering new paths, spending time together with nature.