Matlock Rotary Club plants 1,000 trees to offset carbon footprint of classic car shows

The events in Ashover and Cromford attract many thousands of visitors, hundreds of classic cars and motorbikes each year, raising thousands of pounds for charities and other good causes in the local area.

But all that activity has an environmental impact, and Rotary members have been keen to play their part in developing a cleaner, greener approach.

President Tom Moloney said: “I am pleased that the Rotary Club is considering the environment, in trying to offset the carbon output at car shows and I hope this is something that we could organise on an annual basis.”

Working with the Eastern Moors Partnership – a joint venture between the National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – volunteers recently spent a day planting the first batch of elder, blackthorn and hawthorn trees near Totley.

The three tree types were chosen in the hope of increasing the preferred woodland edge or shrubby habitat for willow tits, whose population decline puts them on the Red List of endangered species.

The next batch of planting will be at Ramsley Moor, again aimed at improving the habitat for willow tits.

Tom said: “I would like to thank the Eastern Moors Partnership for their help in sourcing the trees, finding a suitable site for planting and arranging the planting of the trees with the Eastern Moors volunteers.”