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BlossomWatch

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Environmental campaign The correct title of this article is #BlossomWatch. The omission of the # is due to technical restrictions.
Plum blossom shared on #BlossomWatch, March 2022

#BlossomWatch is a British environmental campaign designed to raise awareness of the first signs of Spring by encouraging people to share images of blossoms via social media. The campaign was begun by the National Trust in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

Background

#BlossomWatch was initiated by the National Trust in March 2020, in the first national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. The campaign was inspired by analysis from the Trust's Noticing Nature Report, which discovered that only 6% of children and 7% of adults celebrated natural events such as the arrival of Spring. The campaign also drew on the traditional Japanese custom of hanami, where people communally enjoy the transient nature of cherry blossom.

#BlossomWatch is part of a wider programme of work by the Trust to plant 68 new orchards by 2025, and four million trees with blossom by 2030. In order to understand the extent to which blossom has been lost from the British landscape, artificial intelligence was used to interrogate historic maps of orchards. An interim report from the Trust showed that orchards had reduced in scale from approximately 95,000 hectares in the period 1892–1914, to 41,000 hectares overall in 2022.

Engagement

During the first campaign participants were encouraged to share images on social media of blossoms seen on lockdown walks. Shared images shown during the campaign fortnight were viewed four million times. The campaign was repeated in 2021, when people were encouraged to geotag their blossom locations, in order to crowd-source a map of blossom in the UK.

A third iteration in 2022 saw over 53,000 images shared on social media. It also saw the installation of a 'blossom circle' in Newcastle city centre, which opened on 23 April of that year. It also included the installation of 'pop-up blossom gardens' in Birmingham, at Edgbaston Street and St Philips Cathedral Square. The Trust also announced a scheme to take place in Autumn 2022 to plant blossoming trees along the circular No.11 bus route.

References

  1. Doherty, Ruth (2021-03-19). "#BlossomWatch is here to lift the nation's spirits and bring us back to the present". Country Living. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  2. "A buzz about blossom which could boost your mood". Kent Online. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. "Join #BlossomWatch and celebrate blossom in the UK". Countryfile.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  4. Bawden, Tom (2020-03-27). "National Trust asks public to take a moment to enjoy the blossom". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  5. "National Trust aims to lift lockdown spirits with #BlossomWatch". the Guardian. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  6. "Blossom watch". National Trust. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  7. "National Trust to create 68 orchards by 2025 to boost wildlife". the Guardian. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  8. "Orchards vanishing from the landscape, says National Trust". BBC News. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  9. ^ "Blossom falls: 80% of small orchards in England and Wales lost since 1900". the Guardian. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  10. Dommett, Tom (2022). Blossom over Time: Interim Report (PDF). National Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  11. ^ "Blossom watch day: National Trust urges UK to share blooms". the Guardian. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  12. Jenkins, Bethan Rose (2021-03-18). "National Trust's BlossomWatch campaign to help boost wellbeing is back". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  13. "Blossom map". National Trust. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  14. "Tyntesfield in Bristol celebrates blossom watch day". BBC News. 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  15. "The National Trust wants you to go outside and enjoy the spring blossoms". The Independent. 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  16. Hall, Daniel (2022-03-24). "National Trust to 'bring back the blossom' at Gibside and Exhibition Park". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  17. Porter, Amelia Hain (2022-04-23). "Celebrating Blossom Watch Day in Exhibition Park". Urban Green Newcastle. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  18. McCallister, Robson (2022-04-02). "Blossom trees planted in city centre ahead of Commonwealth Games". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  19. "These Beautiful Blossom Gardens Have Popped Up In Birmingham City Centre To Celebrate Spring". Secret Birmingham. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  20. "The National Trust pop-up blossom gardens celebrating Birmingham's botanical history". www.birminghamworld.uk. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  21. "Blossom Together in Birmingham | Birmingham Open Spaces Forum". bosf.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  22. "'Ring of blossom' to line Birmingham streets". BBC News. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-08-03.

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