'Oak nannies' come forward to nurture seedlings

A wildlife trust said it had been inundated with volunteers after a call for "oak nannies" to nurture young seedlings at home.

Susan Antrobus, from the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, said a woman in Great Broughton got in touch after hundreds of oak saplings appeared under her tree.

However, upon collecting them, the trust realised they were too small to be planted on its nature reserves so called for people to look after the saplings for a year until they were big enough.

"We've had so much bad press here in South Tees and in Middlesbrough over the past few weeks and I think people are doing it to do something for nature, they want to do something good and this feels achievable," Antrobus said.

A total of 46 volunteers had come forward so far, the trust said.

Antrobus said the nannies needed to "coax the little tiny sapling out of the grass", place it in a big pot for its deep roots and make sure not to over water it.

"And then in the winter just leave them in the corner of the garden and keep an eye on them in the spring, make sure that they don't dry out," she said.

The trees would eventually be planted at reserves including at Lazenby, Saltburn Gill, Hardwick Dean in Stockton and across green spaces in Middlesbrough, the trust said.

The region saw a wrong-way crash last month with seven people killed, including two police officers.

Antrobus said the communities' response to their call had been "really heart-warming".

"I'm a bit obsessive about oaks because not only are they beautiful trees, but they host so much wildlife.

"After they get really ancient, they get more important for wildlife because all the little nooks and crannies in them are home to bats, nesting birds, fungi," she added.

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