The Mayor of the East Midlands highlighted her growing commitment to nature recovery and biodiversity with a visit to a special woodland site.
Mayor Claire Ward visited the Young People’s Forest at Mead, near Heanor. Once an open-cast mining site, it has undergone a remarkable transformation since 2018.
The project began as a partnership between the Woodland Trust and the Pears Foundation, supported by £2.4 million of investment from the National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. One condition of that funding was simple but ambitious: put young people in the driving seat.
Since then, more than 250,000 trees have been planted by local children and teenagers, who continue to shape and maintain the evolving landscape. A dedicated Youth Council now helps steer the site’s development, even leading the creation of two striking landmarks – a fungi-inspired shelter and impressive skylark tower. On-site Woodland Trust team members support the young volunteers and oversee the forest’s day-to-day care.
During her visit, Mayor Claire joined staff and volunteers on a tour which included a walk to a commemorative bench and badger gate, an area recently opened up by adult volunteers to offer sweeping views and a glimpse into the land’s industrial past.
She also explored the site’s birch trail – designed by young volunteers to improve wheelchair access – which winds through willow archways, an outdoor classroom, a bushcraft zone, and several areas showcasing hands-on biodiversity work such as thinning, underplanting, and wildflower plug planting.
Mayor Claire marked the occasion by planting a tree of her own, reinforcing her environmental ambitions. Earlier this year, she launched the Nature and Biodiversity Taskforce to bring together regional experts to embed nature recovery into local planning, policy, and growth.
The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is working closely with partners to support the Local Nature Recovery Strategies for both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The organisation is also exploring practical ways to ensure nature thrives alongside new housing, commercial projects, and wider economic development, in line with the Government’s Biodiversity Net Gain approach.
One example already taking shape is the Derbyshire solar farm, backed by the Mayoral Renewables Fund, where trees and wildflower meadows will flourish around the new 2MW clean energy development.
Mayor Claire’s visit showed the Young People’s Forest is far more than a woodland – it is a powerful symbol of what happens when environmental ambition, community spirit, and young people’s voices come together.