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PHS Direct's first National Forest planting day
30 March 2011
PHS Direct held their first National Forest planting day on the 2nd March, at the site of their area of the Forest at Overseal in Derbyshire. Around 50 people – customers, suppliers and staff alike – got stuck in and planted the first 500 trees to get the site started. The day provided an opportunity to understand why PHS Direct are undertaking this project – to define its ethical trading stance and do something tangible that will be in place for many years to come.
The National Forest is a forest in the making, transforming 200 square miles of central England. Already more than 7 million trees have been planted and woodland cover has been increased from 6% to 18% since the Forest was established in the early 1990s. The eventual aim is for a third of the area to be covered by woodland to create a mosaic of farmland, open space, towns and villages, transport corridors, industrial use, waterways – all framed by woodland.
PHS Direct is committed to planting 5,000 trees a year for three years at the Overseal site, with the option to continue in the future. A contribution from each box of paper sold is donated to The National Forest, and a similar donation is also being made by PHS Direct’s paper suppliers.
The National Forest was chosen as a project by PHS Direct because it is a local scheme that will enable their staff to directly engage with the project in a real and material way. The majority of the staff at our Dordon operational centre live near the Forest, and they are able to directly see and enjoy the impact of PHS Direct’s sponsorship. Schemes in Scotland are also being looked at to enable the customers, suppliers and staff in our Scottish base to undertake a similar project.
James Clark, Managing Director of PHS Direct said: “I’m really excited about the start of our project, and it is great to see the trees actually going into the ground. I’m delighted that our staff and other stakeholders have been able to get to grips with what the project is all about - seeing is believing after all! We had a great time and as a bonus, the weather stayed dry!”
To find out more about PHS Direct’s involvement with The National Forest click here.
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