Leaves for laughs – local comedy nights raise money to plant trees

Have you ever thought having a good laugh could also help the environment?

The negative impacts of climate change are no laughing matter, but sometimes a good laugh can bring positive changes.

Local comedy night promoter Ace Lips, working in partnership with the council has come up with a unique solution to offset the environmental impact of bringing comedians to perform in the borough by donating a tree for every comedy show it hosts - with the first set of 50 mixed British native trees now planted at Balderstone Park in Rochdale.

The ‘Trees for a Laugh’ project was brought to the council’s attention by Rick Attwood, the founder of Ace Lips - which has been running comedy nights for almost 10 years across Rochdale and Oldham.

The trees will be purchased from the Woodland Trust and planted by the council to compensate and offset the carbon footprint generated by the comedians that travel to Rochdale to perform, some from as far away as Glasgow.

The council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, Councillor Liam O’Rourke, said: “When we were approached about the ‘Trees for a Laugh’ scheme, we felt it was a great idea to help increase tree coverage across the borough on top of the many planting schemes we already undertake.

“We all know the vital impact trees have on offsetting carbon dioxide emitted by vehicles, and we hope to continue to support the scheme by sourcing suitable locations for more trees.”  

Rick Attwood, founder of Ace Lips, said: “I’m thrilled that Rochdale has become the pioneer of this scheme, and although we have some amazing comedic talent right here in the borough, we also attract comedians from across the UK.

“If we can offset miles travelled by planting trees, we can help absorb CO2, which benefits us all.”

Bowlee Garden Nursery has been managing the trees and will be working with the comedy club on possible future sites. The first site at Balderstone Park is currently being left to return to woodland to allow the saplings to grow and avoid them being damaged by mowers.

The next comedy night will take place at The Flying Horse Hotel on Packer Street in Rochdale on Friday, 30 June, in aid of Walking with the Wounded, and with regular comedy nights now set at the venue, the fund will continue to grow. 

Over in Middleton, 27 trees will be planted after Marie Gribben, centre manager at Middleton Shopping Centre contacted the council with the idea to plant a tree for a tree after 27 Christmas trees were used across the shopping centre in the festive period.

Thanks to an initial £2,000 donation, the first 11 trees, plus a further five trees donated by the council now feature at Limefield Park, King George V Playing Field, Mainway, Truffet Park and Jubilee Park.

If you, your school or your business would like to help fund projects like these, contact the council’s environmental management team at: environmental.management@rochdale.gov.uk.

For further details on the council’s climate change commitment, visit rochdale.gov.uk/climate-change