Disabled persectives.
Celebrating Disability everywhere in everything.
Our Green Space
Digital Disability celebrates the nature and trees, and has worked on a number of different projects that support the natural environment and reduce carbon foot print.
Native to West of North America Very notable and attractive, rather corky bark for a conifer.
DAWN REDWOOD Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Native to South West China
One of only six Genera of conifers throughout the world that lose their leaves in winter. Dawn Redwood was thought to be extinct and was first named from fossil remains.
‘CRIMSON KING’ Acer platanoides
Purple-leaved cultivar
of Norway Maple.
SILVER-LEAVEDMAPLE Acer saccharinum
Native to North America
A deeply-cut leaf, silver on the underside.
MORINDA OR WEST HIMALAYAN SPRUCE Picea smithiana
Native to Himalayas
An attractive weeping habit and wonderful long, slender, downward-facing cones.
THORNLESS HONEY LOCUST
Gleditsia triacanthos forma inermis
Native to Central North America
It normally has very large (and somewhat dangerous) spines on the main trunk and branches. However, the form inermis is spineless.
COMMON HAWTHORN Crataegus monogyna
Native to Britain and Europe Although other Crataegus species have berries, the Common Hawthorn has drupes (single-seeded, succulent fruits like cherries).
COMMON SYCAMORE Acer pseudoplatanus
Native to Europe
Large specimens can be very stately, and their bark-sloughing (in rectangular plates) can be very noticeable and attractive.
COMMON ELDER Sambucus nigra
Native to Britain
Considered a weed of forest
plantations and therefore culled on
a massive scale. It has the benefit of flowers for butterflies and berries feed some of our native birds.
ENGLISH, COMMON OR PEDUNCULATE OAK Quercus robur
Native to Britain, parts of Asia and Africa Pedunculate meaning having a fruit stalk (peduncle), hence acorns are held on stalks, unlike the Sessile Oak where acorns are held directly onto the tree stems.
Fraxinus excelsior 'pendula' Weeping Ash
Carpinus betulus Hornbeam
Fogus sylvatica purpurea Copper Beech
Tilia Cordata small leafed lime
Glyptostrobus Metasequoia pencilis Chinese Swamp Cypress
Betula Papyrifera Paper Bark Birch
Cercis siliquastrum Judas Tree
Platanus x hispanica London Plane
Metasequoia glypotosrobides Dawn Redwood
Ulmus plantijin Elm Cultivar
Arbutus menziesli Madona
Quercus robur Common Oak
Quercus Petrea Sessile Oak
Tsuga Heteophylla Western Hemlock
Populus Lasiocrapa Chinese necklace Poplar
Salix Chermisina Red Stemmed Scarlet Willow
Planting Trees
Our Earth Week
on Wolverhampton Community Radio
in association with
Community Radio Environment Network UK
Dr Paul Darke interview with Sam Henry from No Limits to Health Cycle project,
on WCR FM Wolverhampton Community Radio, during Our Earth Week 2023.
(Podcast 3)
Celebrating Our Earth Week in Wolverhampton. Podcast 1
Smestow Valley Nature Reserve Wolverhampton
Chris Allen talks to Paul & Claire Darke look back on Our Earth Week.
Steve Downes & George Reiss friends of Smestow Valley (with on-location material from event)
David Guest - Smestow Valley, Ralph Aldous - art and nature, Mark Hand - Wildside Activity Centre
Paul Wilkinson Canal & River Trust, John Rowley - Wolverhanpton Environmental Centre (WEC)
Celebrating Our Earth Week in Wolverhampton. Podcast 2
Business Education and the impact on everyday lives
Alex Rollinson Marstons Energy & Waste Co-ordinator, Wolverhampton Homes - Simon Bamfield
Mike & Rosemary – Electric Car – City of Sanctuary, St Edmunds - Recycle Project
Dew Harrison – Electric Eco House / Own Home, Tomato Energy
Paul & Claire Darke discuss the Environment with Chris Allen.
Dr Paul Darke interveiw with West Midlands Combined Authority / West Midlands Greener Together
talking about Community planting, Carbon Literacy, Home improvement warm homes and much more.
on WCR FM Wolverhampton Community Radio, during Our Earth Week 2023.
Celebrating Our Earth Week in Wolverhampton. Pocast 3
Local Environmental Activity and Interest
Chris Baines – Trees
West Midlands Combined Authority - West Midlands Greener Together Community planting, Carbon Literacy, Home improvement warm homes etc
Julia Farrell - Fairtrade Wolverhampton, Sam Henry – No Limits to Health (Cycling) , Moya Lloyd & Hannah Boyd Boundary Way Allotment, Shoba Asar-Paul – Alll Saint Action Network (ASAN)
Visit the green spaces of Wolverhampton - with Chris Baines A video by Wolverhampton Today.
Planting Trees
Our project engaged with local groups to plant trees in places local to them, where they had connections...
working with Friends of Bantock Park
Planted a red oak tree in Bantock Park to commemorate 100 years of the end of World War One.
Tree Planting Project
in association with Wildside Activity Centre
Thanks to the generous partnership funding provided by Digital Disability we were able to plant over 1000 trees and work with nearly 200 people in Wolverhampton and surrounding areas.
During January, February and March 2020 we worked with 9 different organisations and helped them plant trees in Smestow Valley Nature Reserve and at their sites too.
Coleman Street Supported Housing Scheme, High Flyers (from S. Staffs) and a lifeskills group from Newhampton Arts Centre all worked with us and our volunteers to plant trees near to Wildside.
We went out to care homes in Codsall, Wednesfield and Pensnett to work with residents, support staff and friends to plant trees in their grounds.
We also worked with the learning support sections of two senior schools and helped their students to plant trees in their school grounds and we visited a charity that provides holiday activities for disabled children and worked with some of the children to plant trees.
Two of the organisations kindly provided the following feedback on the project -
(1) - The tree planting activity was a fantastic opportunity for the Life Skills students to engage with their local environment and learn about the different trees and how and where to plant them. They enjoyed the hands on activity of digging the soil, selecting their trees and then planting them under the guidance of professionals who shared their subject knowledge in a very accessible way suitable to the needs of the students. It gave them a great opportunity to communicate with new people, follow instructions and build on their team work skills. There were physical benefits to working outdoors as well as the confidence and pride expressed by members of the group knowing they had made a positive impact on their local environment and could show this to friends and family members in the future.
(2) - The year 8 pupils at Moreton enormously benefited from being able to participate in the tree planting project with Wildside on their school grounds. They had been learning about climate change in their geography lessons and understood the vital role trees play in regulating our climate and the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, as well as their ability to provide habitats for animals. They greatly appreciated the opportunity to explore their school grounds, learn about the different trees they were planting and do an activity in which they knew they were having a positive impact on the environment. Being proactive on issues related to the environment was good for the pupil's wellbeing, they all came away from the day excited with big smiles on their faces and happily shared their experience with their friends. It empowered them by showing them they were capable of making a positive difference and it also increased pupil engagement in lessons as they had applied what they had learnt to a real world context.
