We kicked off our 2025 calendar of social value activity by getting green fingered on two tree planting days with the Woodland Trust.

In January a team of five APS colleagues headed to the Woodland Trust’s largest estate in England, Smithills in Greater Manchester, to support the development of a new plantation. We planted over 600 saplings, including Oak and Willow, whilst also checking previously planted trees and removing guards from those that were established, replacing any that hadn’t survived and filling spaces between them.

Team APS were then back at it in February, this time joined by some of our clients from Versus Arthritis at Hayhills Farm Wood in West Yorkshire. The primary purpose of this day put their DIY skills to good use as they were tasked to build and erect wooden pens to protect the saplings from grazing wildlife, and the group still managed to plant another 120+ trees – cue some very achy bodies the next day!

Made possible through the Carbon Capture Scheme, these tree planting days are one of our favourite and most rewarding volunteering events of the year. We can’t wait to see where we’ll head to next!