Earlier this month staff from the ITV soap opera helped out the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust..
On Friday, 18th October, a team of twelve ITV Emmerdale employees headed to Spurn Point National Nature Reserve on the far reaches of East Yorkshire to help Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with two jobs.
The first was the creation of seed bags to help restore the depleting seagrass meadows in the Humber Estuary. Secondly, assisting in the management of the invasive brown tail moth population.
Head of Emmerdale Production, Nader Mabadi:
“These days are becoming an important part of Emmerdale Production life. Our Green Team, is composed of representatives from various departments including Costume, Make-Up, Cameras, Grips AD’s and Sound, as well as cast members — the team meets bimonthly to explore and discuss fresh ways to weave sustainability and best practices into our onscreen storylines and production processes.”
The vast bulk of the day involved creating tiny hessian seedbags inside which delicate seagrass seeds were placed, which will be planted out by the Wilder Humber team at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to expand the seagrass meadows slowly growing at the Point.
Spurn Point National Nature Reserve is a land spit which juts right out into the Humber Estuary, separating it from the North Sea, and as a result is a unique habitat with some amazing wildlife and incredible views. Representatives from the Green Team spent the day giving back to the environment, while also engaging in team bonding, enjoying fresh air, and promoting well-being through outdoor exercise.
Andy van der Schatte Olivier, Marine Programme Manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust:
“We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the Emmerdale team at Spurn Point for one of Wilder Humber’s seagrass seed bag making sessions. Our Wilder Humber project aims to restore 30 hectares of seagrass meadows into the Humber estuary through the planting of seed bags, which is equivalent to 104 football pitches! In total, the team produced over 1,000 seed bags; their efforts will really contribute to the restoration of this vital marine species, leaving a lasting legacy in the Humber and help to tackle climate change.”
Emmerdale grows with trees: Friday, 26th July, a team of Emmerdale employees headed to Gair Wood on the outskirts of Leeds to help maintain a new plantation of 60,000 trees / ITV
Head of Emmerdale Production, Nader Mabadi:
“We are proud to be part of this wonderful region and are constantly seeking ways of giving back to the community. These volunteer days are part of ITV’s broader commitment to reach netzero by 2030 and allow us to make a tangible difference beyond the walls of our studio. We feel that responsibility professionally and personally to help support local green, environmental and social purpose projects.
“It’s a journey, we still have a lot of challenges but I think it’s important where possible, to walk and not just talk about the issues that affect us all. I would highly recommend a trip to Spurn; Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s staff and volunteers were incredibly helpful and supportive. We were able to learn and bond as a team, our fit bits in overdrive whilst we helped preserve a stunning natural Yorkshire location.”
In July a team from the Leeds based production headed to Gair Wood on the outskirts of Leeds to help maintain a new plantation of 60,000 trees. That effort fulfilled a pledge made in May this year to give back to the local environment in celebration of the programme’s 10,000th episode. Emmerdale actors and production team members traded their work attire for gardening gloves and boots to assist the University of Leeds with weed control and general tree maintenance across their 36 hectare site.
Gair Wood is one of the most significant woodland projects in the North of England. With the aim of increasing biodiversity as well as providing research, teaching and social opportunities. Gair Wood contributes to the White Rose Forest and has been developed by the University of Leeds, United bank of Carbon. The Woodland is named after the secretary of Leeds University Roger Gair who planted the first tree at Gair Wood in December 2022.
Spurn Point is Yorkshire’s very own Lands End – an iconic and constantly-moving peninsula which curves between the North Sea and the Humber Estuary. At over three miles long but as little as 50 metres wide, this landscape is unique and ever-changing, and occasionally becomes one of the country’s newest islands at particularly high tides when the sea ‘washes over’ the narrowest point of the spit.
Spurn has an extensive human history both military and domestic, leaving a legacy of fascinating but derelict buildings and hidden structures. But Spurn remains, and will always be, an utterly wild place. Always at the mercy of the elements, no two days at Spurn are ever the same. Spurn is a National Nature Reserve which means the wildlife and habitats there are highly protected, and as a result plays host to some incredible and rare species.