29 July 2011: Thirty new projects put forward by a wide range of community groups have been awarded grants through The Big Tree Plant Funding Scheme and will aim to plant an additional 275,000 trees over the next four years.

These include a charity run by disabled people in Birmingham, a mental health nursing home and a project to engage marginalised boys and men.

Further funding rounds will be available over the next four years to bring the total up to 1 million trees, with the next round opening later this summer.

In announcing the new grant winners, Defra Minister Jim Paice said:

“Local communities will be planting trees where they need them, providing and enhancing green spaces for their communities. It’s good to see the range of groups getting involved and making this happen.”

The 30 projects that have been approved are as follows:

Herefordshire Orchard Topic Group, Herefordshire (£5460.50); Warley Woods Community Trust, West Midlands (£5200.00); BTCV Kent (£20,000.00); Northfield Ecocentre, West Midlands (£16,050.00); Boston Woods Trust Lincolnshire (£1846.00); Groundwork Thames Valley, Greater London (£25,000.00); Ideal for All, West Midlands (£18,000.00); Birmingham Trees for Life, West Midlands (£107,384.00); Creative Support – Stoke, Staffordshire (£650.00); Creative Support – Bedford, Bedfordshire (£770.00); Alnwick Community Development Trust, Northumberland (£1,317.76); London Orchard Project, Greater London (£71,780.00); Swanley Town Council, Kent (£6,130.00); Wilton Park Community Association, County Durham (£700.00); Horndean Community Association, Hampshire (£512.00); Shrewsbury Town Council, Shropshire (£32,704.00); Wellingore Parish Council, Lincolnshire (£902.00); Cricklade Bloomers, Wiltshire (£5,518.34); Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Lancashire (£9,000.00); Pit Stop 2000 Limited, West Yorkshire (£23,830.00); Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Stafforshire (£12,813.05); Trees for Cities – Outside London, National (£450,000.00); Groundwork Oldham and Rochdale, Greater Manchester (£25,000.00); Groundwork Lancashire and Wigan, Lancashire (£510.00); Trees for Cities – Pan London, Greater London (£240,000.00); Bee Guardian Foundation, Gloucestershire ( £25,000.00); London Wildlife Trust – Wild London Initiative, Greater London (£3,036.00); Community Forests North West, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside (£440,454.00); Friends of Wallsend Parks, Tyne and Wear (£2,200.00); Aspire Housing, Staffordshire (£5,644.38).

• Click here for details on how community groups can apply for funding