4,000 Trees Planted for the Young People’s Forest

John E Wright joined forces with the Woodland Trust to create new native woodland in the Derbyshire countryside as part of the Carbon Capture® programme.

On Thursday 25^th November, John E Wright staff teamed up with the Outdoor Guide and CBBC presenter Gemma Hunt to brave the cold and plant saplings with the Woodland Trust, at the Young People’s Forest in Mead, Derbyshire. Guests from around the UK, from Southampton to Glasgow, travelled to take part in the day and help with this amazing project.

Guests were welcomed with hot breakfasts, teas and coffees; and then promptly took to the fields to begin planting. The target for the day was to plant at least 3,000 trees that are native to the area including holly, silver birch, alder and oak. By the end of the day an incredible total of 4,000 indigenous saplings were planted, despite a few cold hands.

Young People’s Forest Mead is located just south of Heanor and Smalley in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside, the 162-hectare site is steeped in history with ties stretching back to the Norman conquest and the Vikings, over 1,000 years ago. Coal mining began in the area during 16^th century and the land was used as an open cast mining site. In 2015 however, mining ceased and the Woodland Trust plan to plant 250,000 trees, helping to create a safe and educational outdoor space for generations to come; as well as bountiful habitats for endless species of insects, foxes, deer, hare, owls, sky larks and badgers.

The tree planting event was organised as part of the Carbon Capture® programme, which has grown to become the industry’s leading environmental initiative with well over 600 companies and organisations fully signed up and committed to the cause; from printers to sign makers, local authorities to banks and other corporate organisations, all directly supporting the creation and maintenance of local native woodland throughout the UK. To date the Carbon Capture® programme has raised in excess of £1.3m for the Woodland Trust, planting over 330,000 trees so far and captured over 80,000 tonnes of CO₂; and the best part is 100% of all money raised through the Carbon Capture® programme, goes directly to the Woodland trust to create and protect native British woodland!   

We would like to thank our paper supplier Premier Paper for extending the invitation to us for the fun, worthwhile and only slightly exhausting day at Mead.