Retail Destination looks at the planting – and replanting – of Angel Central’s festive community forest
Angel Central in Islington, owned by CBRE Investment Management, created a project in late 2021 named the ‘Angel Central Community Forest’. The centre worked with four key community groups: Hugh Myddleton Primary School, King Square Gardens, Islington Forest for Change and Culpeper Community Gardens, partnering with the groups to buy trees and plants for its own community forest, which would later be donated in January.
Located in the heart of the newly refurbished plaza, the Community Forest was in place for five weeks over November and December, attracting high volumes of visitors within the Islington community. Festive elements such as a letterbox for Santa and Christmas decorations were woven into the design, creating a small and secluded sanctuary for families to enjoy and fuel excitement for the Christmas period.
Home to over 80 trees and nearly 200 plants, all flora and fauna have since been re-planted within the local community after the festive celebrations ended. All the plants and trees were tagged with their new adoptive new home details and throughout the end of December and January. The Angel Central team delivered these to the three selected community gardens, which have since been replanted. Hugh Myddleton Primary School received the remaining 40 trees, which are to be used in the school’s nursery playground to form a hedged barrier, planted by members of the Angel Central team and local volunteers.
Ciara Daffy, asset manager at CBRE Investment Management says that all aspects of the installation were considered from the outset and the four tonnes of bark have also been donated to King Square Gardens where it will form a new pathway surrounding the children’s playground, with Angel Central team members volunteering to complete the works. This initiative comes in line with Islington Council’s Vision 2030 pledge as a roadmap for creating a net-zero carbon Islington by 2030.
“We are so proud to have created a successful initiative such as the Community Forest,” says Daffy. “At Angel Central, our sustainability efforts and considerations are a key priority that we are continuing to develop and ending last year with a creative initiative really sets the precedent and highlights the importance of community and innovation.”
The main objective of this initiative, she says, was to highlight both the importance of sustainability to Angel Central and the value of community. This scheme has been able to help local projects across Islington and raise awareness, whilst also creating something fun, interactive and exciting for the destination. No element of the placemaking scheme went to landfill or recycling, and all the retained elements will be used in future Angel Central campaigns and events.
“We are committed to increasing our sustainability credentials across every aspect which is why planning ahead and utilising major events such as Christmas is a great way to start the trend,” adds Daffy. “We wanted to create something beautiful and enchanting for our visitors that not only incorporated the festive period, but highlighted how we want Angel central to be perceived. As we enter a new year, sustainability is still at the forefront of our plans and something which we endeavour to replicate across the destination.”
This was first published in Retail Destination Fortnightly. Click here to subscribe.
