A PROJECT which will see 210 football pitches of trees, woodland and forests planted along the Cumbrian coast has taken another step forward.

Cumbria County Council's Cabinet has voted to take over the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest project which it is hoped will enhance the county's natural capital and provide more opportunities for residents to receive the benefits of being close to nature.

The journey began when the council, Cumbria Woodlands and the National Trust submitted a joint bid to add Cumbria Coastal Community Forest to the Trees for Climate Programme.

Last month the council was notified that CCCF had been accepted onto the scheme which is ran by England’s Community Forests.

The decision brought an initial £220,000 grant from Defra's Nature for Climate Fund.

By the end of March 2025, 150 hectares of new woodland will be planted along the Cumbrian coast making the benefits of nature more accessible to the community. The initial £220k grant will see one tree planted for every resident in Allerdale, Copeland and Barrow.

Around 32,910 tonnes of CO2 will be captured over the lifetime of the trees.

And the ultimate goal is to create up to 5,000 hectares of new woodland, almost 7,000 football pitches, in the next 25 years.

Councillor Celia Tibble, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “I am delighted that the county council will lead on this exciting initiative as the accountable body. By enabling this ambitious project, we can help connect our residents and local communities to local nature without the need to travel whilst also significantly contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

“The new community forest will not only benefit Cumbria environmentally and economically but provide far reaching physical and mental health benefits for our communities too. The project will offer opportunities for green jobs, nature recovery, carbon storage, enhanced biodiversity and environmental resilience.”

The project will initially focus on the coastal corridor from Carlisle down to Barrow-in-Furness.

Wigton, Maryport, Workington, Whitehaven, Millom and Barrow will all see new woodland on their coastal areas.