Futures' tree-mendous tree planting in the community

East-Midlands housing association Futures Housing Group has planted 140 trees across the communities where its customers live.

The organisation worked closely with customers, community groups and local councils to bring the project to life in over 20 locations throughout the East Midlands.

The trees were all planted in honour of The Queen’s Green Canopy Project, a nationwide campaign originally set to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, and extended to mark The Queen’s passing.

CEO Lindsey Williams read about the campaign and from this her seed of an idea began to grow. Lindsey said: “The original aim was to plant 70 trees for 70 years of the Queen’s reign, however we took this a step further and doubled the total by planting 70 trees in both Derbyshire and Daventry.”

The project started in December last year as part of Futures in the Community Day. Since then, Futures has held several events for the public to join in

Futures chose trees that are local to its neighbourhoods and best for the planet, including Northamptonshire apple trees (Thorpe's Peach) and English Oak trees, which are one of the most beneficial trees for wildlife and plants.

Lindsey said: “The planting fits perfectly with our passion of giving back to the community and our ongoing sustainability journey. I’m thankful for all the support we’ve received from customers and organisations and of course colleagues for making this possible.

"The trees will be here for many years to come and hopefully in a few years’ time, the apple trees will be ready for people to start cooking.”