News / WECA Mayoral Elections 2025
Labour metro mayor candidate plants seeds for Earth Day
Helen Godwin joined Avon Needs Trees and partners at a seed planting ceremony to commemorate Earth Day and demonstrate a commitment to nature should she win the metro mayor election on May 1.
The Labour candidate for the West of England mayoral position was at the site of the Lower Chew Forest on Tuesday, April 22 being an global day of significance that celebrates nature and the planet.
Godwin planted seedlings that will become the trees forming the South West’s biggest new woodland of a generation.
is needed now More than ever
Godwin planted Guelder Rose seedlings – the plant’s spring flowers and autumn berries are valuable food for wildlife
It was the second event in the Nature is Lush. Let’s Vote For It! campaign which asks candidates to commit to a specific set of pledges embedding nature’s recovery in regional policy, should they become the next metro mayor.
The campaign is backed by over 50 organisations as well as leading environmental and business figures Dr Mya-Rose Craig, Chris Packham, Deborah Meaden and George Ferguson, and over 1000 regional residents.
“This isn’t just about saving wildlife and biodiversity,” Meaden said. “It’s also an amazing opportunity for local people.
“Green spaces make us all happier and healthier. They can have a huge impact on things like local flooding, air and water quality. We need the next metro mayor to take a stand on an issue that people in the West of England care so deeply about.”
Helen Godwin and the Avon Needs Trees team were joined at the event by Simon Hunter from BART, Alex Stone from Forest of Avon, and Sarah Pitt and Sonia Parsons from CPRE, all supporters of the Nature is Lush campaign
It was the second event of the campaign, with Godwin’s fellow candidates Oli Henman, Mary Page and Steve Smith taking part in the launch event in March. Reform candidate Arron Banks has not responded to invitations to take part.
The campaign coalition, led by Avon Needs Trees, has issued a joint letter to candidates and are expecting video responses setting out their approach to nature recovery over the course of the four year mayoral term.
Godwin planted Guelder Rose seedlings, a plant chosen as symbolic for its value to wildlife, with spring flowers and red berries in autumn an important food source for birds.
The Lower Chew Forest site was chosen as the Avon Needs Trees flagship project marks a significant step for nature in the region and was made possible by West of England Combined Authority funding.
It will make a key contribution to the recently announced Western Forest, a new national forest spanning Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire with 20 million trees across 2,500 hectares.
To ensure nature is at the top of the new metro mayor’s agenda, sign the Nature is Lush petition at avonneedstrees.org.uk/weca-mayoral-campaign
All photos: Alex Turner
Read next:
- Deputy prime minister in Bristol to back Labour mayoral candidate
- Nature is Lush campaign demands future metro mayor ‘dig deep for nature’
- ‘Restoring nature is about restoring hope for the future’
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